Louisville hoops injuries

[Tim_T]

nine players have missed games for injuries this season, until now I got more great news per one of my friends in the local sports media:

"Latest U of L injury--Preston Knowles, pulled hamstring. Had an MRI today and will miss, at least, the DePaul game."

[riverrat12]

Geeeze Tim and those hamstrings don't heal overnight....this could bother him the rest of the season...

[zx150]

I hate to hear it. I like that kid. He seems to have a coaches presents on the floor.

[mhall]

Well that's just hunky frickin Dory. I still say he is pushing them too hard in practice. Yes you have to practice hard but he's trying to kill these guys, we need them in the games.

[zx150]

Well that's just hunky frickin Dory. I still say he is pushing them too hard in practice. Yes you have to practice hard but he's trying to kill these guys, we need them in the games.

I agree 100%. He needs to back off a bit.

[goosecreekguy]

nine players have missed games for injuries this season, until now I got more great news per one of my friends in the local sports media:

"Latest U of L injury--Preston Knowles, pulled hamstring. Had an MRI today and will miss, at least, the DePaul game."

Man, this team can't catch a break. Hamstring injuries can linger...

I have to disagree with the comments about Pitino practicing them too hard. He makes them go hard, game speed hard, to develop a season-long focus and intensity by nature (something this year's team has lacked). He's pushing this squad hard because he sees the weaknesses and their potential. He doesn't go as hard now as he did earlier in the year by any means and they have lighter practices on the days before games. Injuries are just as likely to occur when players aren't going balls to the wall as they are when its 110%, in practice or in games.

[Tim_T]

Man, this team can't catch a break. Hamstring injuries can linger...

I have to disagree with the comments about Pitino practicing them too hard. He makes them go hard, game speed hard, to develop a season-long focus and intensity by nature (something this year's team has lacked). He's pushing this squad hard because he sees the weaknesses and their potential. He doesn't go as hard now as he did earlier in the year by any means and they have lighter practices on the days before games. Injuries are just as likely to occur when players aren't going balls to the wall as they are when its 110%, in practice or in games.

Goose, I am going to really have to disagree. There is a real physical condition called "over training." I spent 16 years in a boxing ring and there is no way you are going to go to the gym and have a serious workout complete with sparring the day before a fight, much less the day of the fight. During the telecest of the providence game, the announcers even commented about being at the morning shoot around and that it wasn't a shoot around, but a full scale practice. They are practicing just as hard now as they did before the season started and the coach has admitted so himself. Ever wonder why every year his teams have so many injuries?

[goosecreekguy]

Goose, I am going to really have to disagree. There is a real physical condition called "over training." I spent 16 years in a boxing ring and there is no way you are going to go to the gym and have a serious workout complete with sparring the day before a fight, much less the day of the fight. During the telecest of the providence game, the announcers even commented about being at the morning shoot around and that it wasn't a shoot around, but a full scale practice. They are practicing just as hard now as they did before the season started and the coach has admitted so himself. Ever wonder why every year his teams have so many injuries?

That's fair Tim. I see what you are saying about over training. Basketball is different though...injuries occur just as often when players aren't going hard as they do when players are going 110%. Having boxed and played basketball myself, I couldn't compare the training and competitive aspects of the two fairly.
I haven't talked to PK since the Providence game, I don't really know what's behind having a "full-on" practice the morning of a game was about. I know Coach did the same thing at UK on several occasions, and he recieved the same criticism then too. Before he won it in 1996. According to my conversations with PK the practices are still VERY demanding but they aren't practicing as hard, often, or as long as they did before the season began. I think its very unfortunate that the injury bug has bitten so many times this year, but I don't think its because Pitino is killing them in practice. When a coach starts letting off the throttle in practice, lowering practice expectations, and giving days off this time of year with a team that isn't mature or has great chemistry, the result is a mid-late season collapse that ends in early March.

[Tim_T]

That's fair Tim. I see what you are saying about over training. Basketball is different though...injuries occur just as often when players aren't going hard as they do when players are going 110%. Having boxed and played basketball myself, I couldn't compare the training and competitive aspects of the two fairly.
I haven't talked to PK since the Providence game, I don't really know what's behind having a "full-on" practice the morning of a game was about. I know Coach did the same thing at UK on several occasions, and he recieved the same criticism then too. Before he won it in 1996. According to my conversations with PK the practices are still VERY demanding but they aren't practicing as hard, often, or as long as they did before the season began. I think its very unfortunate that the injury bug has bitten so many times this year, but I don't think its because Pitino is killing them in practice. When a coach starts letting off the throttle in practice, lowering practice expectations, and giving days off this time of year with a team that isn't mature or has great chemistry, the result is a mid-late season collapse that ends in early March.

I forgot that you are friends with Knowles, so you probably have more insight into it than I do, because I don't talk to the players. Also, I may have been wrong about the Providence game, but it was a recent game where the announcers talked about it.

Since you did some boxing and I see what part of the sate you are from I have a question: Did you train at Emmet Igo's gym by any chance down in Richmond?

[goosecreekguy]

I forgot that you are friends with Knowles, so you probably have more insight into it than I do, because I don't talk to the players. Also, I may have been wrong about the Providence game, but it was a recent game where the announcers talked about it.

Since you did some boxing and I see what part of the sate you are from I have a question: Did you train at Emmet Igo's gym by any chance down in Richmond?

No Tim, I never did train there. I think I may've known someone that did...if I'm not mistaken he used to work down at the Depot or something. I got into it for a couple years when I lived down in Alabama, but I only stuck with it long enough to figure out I needed to stick to fishing and basketball .

[mhall]

Oh I agree injuries are as apt to happen in games then practice that's a no brainer. But I stand behind the original statement. Pitino suffers many injuries every year and MANY of them occur in practice. Might be time this year to just back off a fuzz and tell them why. Buckles getting hurt killed this team. According to what I heard was that he did it on a cross over move on Kuric's knee. I also heard they were going at each other like rabid dogs that day to???

[Fishin is life]

I'm gonna have to disagree with people who says Ricky P's pushing them too hard in practice....Has anybody watched most of their recent games where they get behind and pull a helluva run out at the end of the game because they are in better game shape than their opponents...UConn, Marquette, WV all looked like they were dead in the last 5 minutes and Lville continued their uptempo pressing style without losing their legs and pulled the games out...You know what that's due to? Hard practice and physical conditioning....Look at Rick's overall body of work as a coach and who are we to be questioning his methods?