News Nuggets, 01.17.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Pitino absent as Louisville makes quick turnaround

LOUISVILLE — The Louisville Cardinals have done plenty of adjusting this week. The second semester started, ending three weeks of two-a-day practices but forcing the players to once again balance studies with game preparations and travel.

The eighth-ranked Cardinals (12-1, 3-0 Conference USA) defeated East Carolina 76-66 on Thursday night, despite some confusion with the Pirates' multiple defenses.

In the wake of the league battle before a rambunctious crowd in ECU's Williams Arena, they now face their quickest game-to-game turnaround of the season, with just one full day to prepare for Saturday's game with Tulane (6-6, 0-2).

And they'll do it without their head coach.

Assistant Kevin Willard ran practice Friday, while head coach Rick Pitino dealt with two deaths close to his family.

On Thursday, Philomenia Fitzsimmons, the nurse who cared for Pitino's mother, died in a car accident on Long Island. Also, the 3-month-old daughter of Laura Starns, who was a nanny for Pitino's children while he was coaching at Kentucky, died of unknown causes.

Pitino was attending the child's funeral in Lexington on Saturday afternoon before driving back to Louisville for the game.

Willard filled in for Pitino at the post-game news conference Thursday and met with reporters Friday in Louisville.

He said Pitino's absence is an adjustment for the players but not a big one.

"It affects everybody. That's human nature," said the 28-year-old Willard. "But our guys have a a very good sense of what they want to accomplish this season. They'll be a little affected — everybody would be — but they know what they have to do and they'll do it."

The Cardinals had two Thursday-to-Saturday turnarounds last season. They won both Saturday games, but struggled — beating TCU 87-74 on Jan. 18 and East Carolina 82-76 on March 1.

U of L is not alone in the short recovery department. ECU was scheduled to fly to Texas less than 24 hours after the more recent loss to the Cardinals for a Saturday night game against league foe Houston.

Pitino said last year the condensed time between games was good preparation for the NCAA tournament. Willard said that wasn't on anyone's mind this time.

"We're not thinking that way. We're really focused on Tulane," he said. "We're not thinking about March."

Willard said Pitino wasn't happy with how the Cardinals played in Greenville, although they led by as many as 20 early in the second half.

Louisville shot 36.5 percent, its lowest percentage in 10 games, and forced only nine turnovers, its lowest output in nine games.

Willard said the Cardinals got rattled for the first time all season — not by the raucous crowd at East Carolina but by the number of shots they were missing.

"They hung their heads because they weren't making shots. That's the first time they've done that, and that happens," Willard said. "We were a little confused, our shots weren't going down. And instead of saying, like we did at Kentucky, 'Let's dig in and get a couple of stops,' we decided to say, 'Let's run after the ball like a 12-year-old does and try to get it back after I miss it."

Willard said he and Pitino noticed a positive sign after the game — that the Cardinals realized how poorly they had played.

"We were first or second (in the nation) going into last night in field goal defense. We take a lot of pride in that," Willard said. "Some of the guys came in after the game and said, 'Why'd we let them score that last bucket?' We want to stop people every time. Not some times, every time."

The Cardinals have won 13 consecutive games at Freedom Hall and are going for their 13th consecutive win overall.

Louisville beat Tulane 82-66 in last year's Conference USA tournament. A showdown with No. 10 Cincinnati looms next week, but senior Kendall Dartez said he hasn't heard any Cardinals mention it.

If the team is looking ahead to anything, Dartez said, it's matching last year's 17-game winning streak.

"Everybody is trying to get to where we were last year," Dartez said. "We're trying to keep the streak up, take everybody seriously, not take anybody lightly."

USM staggers No. 21 Marquette in Green Bay

GREEN BAY — Southern Mississippi made itself right at home in Marquette country.

The Golden Eagles traveled 1,100 miles to play what was technically a home game against No. 21 Marquette and ended up routing the Golden Eagles from Milwaukee 83-61 Friday night behind 24 points from Greg Johnson.

The win in front of a crowd of 8,180 that was partial to the so-called visitors was especially satisfying for Southern Mississippi coach James Green.

"You can call it a home game," Green said, "but it didn't feel like a home game to me."

Southern Mississippi (9-6, 2-2 Conference USA) used a 17-3 run in the second half to hand Marquette (11-4, 2-2) its second straight loss. The Golden Eagles lost at home to No. 10 Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Southern Miss had sold its home game to an independent promoter.

School officials said the game was moved to the campus of Wisconsin-Green Bay because of the school's close connection with Packers quarterback Brett Favre. But Favre was at home in Hattiesburg, Miss., and never planned to attend the game.

Other coaches in Conference USA were upset that the league allowed Marquette to play a road game less than two hours from home, but it turned out to be no advantage.

"The building was fantastic, and we appreciate all the Marquette people being here," Marquette coach Tom Crean said. "I just wish we could have played better."

Travis Diener, Marquette's leading scorer, missed all six of his shots in the first half, and his team trailed 29-24 at halftime.

Southern Mississippi opened the second half with a 10-2 run, which included a dunk, a free throw and a layup by Charles Gaines.

Diener ended the run with his first basket of the night, a 3-pointer that cut it to 39-29 with 16:36 remaining. Diener found his stroke in the second half and managed 16 points despite leaving the game briefly with a hand injury.

Freshman Dameon Mason made his first start for Marquette and scored a career-high 17 points. Scott Merritt added 16.

David Haywood added 14 points for Southern Mississippi, which outscored Marquette 23-7 at the foul line.

Kentucky fan gets 27-year exile for web recruiting operation

LEXINGTON — The University of Kentucky has banned a fan from any involvement with the school's athletic program for 27 years for unapproved contact with potential football recruits.

Brian Poe, 34, was banned for contacting potential Wildcats football recruits during the spring of 2002, the university said.

Poe, who runs a Kentucky fan Web site, cannot purchase season tickets. Also, coaches, players, staff members or potential recruits can't have contact with Poe.

Poe was originally banned by Kentucky for two years after the university said he had inappropriately interviewed high school recruits.

Kentucky compliance director Sandy Bell contacted the NCAA after finding out about Poe's initial interviews with recruits. She was told the school was responsible for Poe's actions and that the university had to report those violations.

Bell was told by another booster that Poe was circulating e-mails asking for help in recruiting athletes. The school talked with NCAA officials and an additional 25 years was added.

The NCAA says that fan Web sites aren't considered media outlets, and that the school might be accountable if a representative contacts a recruit. Such contact might be an NCAA violation.

"Because he was not a media entity, he was a representative of our athletics interests," Bell said Thursday. "The NCAA wouldn't want a booster of any institution to just open a Web site and start interviewing recruits."

Kentucky is serving a three-year probation for recruiting violations committed during the tenure of former football coach Hal Mumme, which, Poe contends, is one reason the penalty was so extreme.

"It's exceedingly long, but with [Kentucky] being on probation, they probably felt they had to make a statement," Poe was quoted as saying by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Attempts to reach Poe on Thursday were unsuccessful. A man who answered the phone at Big Blue Nation Media, the Lexington company that produces the Kentucky fan Web site, said Poe no longer worked for the company, but the man declined to identify himself.

Poe is the sixth person to be banned by Kentucky: Joe Brett Langley, who was banned three years; and Brian McCarty, Gary McKee, and Bud Willis, who were given five years each. Lexington horseman Tom Gentry received a lifetime ban from NCAA-related problems in the 1970s.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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