Louisville hoops 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?

[Tim_T]

I agree with you that we are usually better conditioned, but I feel we have every right to question a coach. Rick pitino makes over $2 million per year to coach, some of that money comes from me because I go to as many games as I can and spend money on concessions and cardinal gear. He is a public figure who is not immune to criticism.

[Fishin is life]

Criticism is the American way...Just saying that he is taking a team that is not as talented in some cases and getting them to compete....They keep it close the first 35 minutes and then you see those hard practices that everybody is "criticizing" come into play....Having played basketball as many years as i did I can tell you you'll see as many injuries come at half speed as you will at full speed....I once had a coach that would run us until somebody on the team puked, then we were done....At the time we thought it was harsh but when games rolled around the last 5 minutes we were still wide open while the other team was bending over and gasping for air you realize the purpose

[Tim_T]

I agree that what he has done with this team is exceptional, I believe with all the injuries, having to constantly change the line up and rotation etc. Coach Pitino is doing his best coaching job since he has been at Louisville. I just think that it is easy to overwork a team. Once you get in your best condition, you only have to maintain it, not try and build on it. Physiologically you can only reach a certain level of fitness (it varies in each individual) then you are actually tearing the body down.

[Fishin is life]

I agree with that....but if you work the hell out of your players in the offseason and get them in their top physical condition and then once the season starts you only play 2 days a week and practice lightly the other days you will lose some of it....