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"The team asked me to override it because we couldn't win without him," Pitino said. "We didn't have any size, we didn't have players, so we couldn't win without him."
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Pitino traded in his discipline -- and his coaching testicles -- for a win. He let Caracter play against Dayton, but not without letting Caracter know how serious this situation was. In previous months Pitino already had drawn up at least one "contract" with Caracter, stipulating the behaviors that were and were not acceptable. Caracter had broken that contract time and again, so here's what Pitino did before the Dayton game: He drew up another contract. Saying the same stuff. And had Caracter sign it again. Because Pitino is that kind of no-means-no disciplinarian.
Caracter was so grateful for the 17th chance that he produced a typical Derrick Caracter performance -- lots of effort on offense, none on defense -- in a 70-65 loss to Dayton.
And then he broke his contract with Pitino by breaking his curfew.
That same night.
Twice.
Caracter was supposed to report to his dormitory by 9 p.m., but he ambled in at 10. And then shortly before midnight he snuck back out. OK, snuck is the wrong word. Caracter is 6-9, 270 pounds. The dorm doesn't have any secret entrances. Basically, this enormous guy walked out the front door and dared Pitino to do something about it. Why? Because for 18 months he had given Pitino more trouble than any, or all, of the players Pitino had coached in his previous 20 years -- and still Pitino had let him play. Because Pitino needed Derrick Caracter.
Pitino tells it another way. He says he doesn't care about Caracter the player nearly as much as he cares about Caracter the person.
"The reason we've taken so much effort trying to change him," Pitino said, "is we love his mom and we felt he was very worth the change -- not so much as a basketball player, but if he didn't change he has no chance of making it in life, never mind basketball."
Heart-warming. And did we mention the 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds Caracter was providing? Did we mention Caracter has been cited as a potential NBA lottery pick since he was in eighth grade?
"He needs to make dramatic changes in his life," Pitino said. "I've never seen anyone so far behind in the game of life. ... I never knew when we recruited him that he would be this far behind -- not basketball-wise, but personally."
Pitino blames that on the NCAA, which has limited coaching staffs' contact with potential recruits, when he should be blaming it on assistant Steve Masiello, who runs amok in the New York-New Jersey area and brings in city players like Caracter, Earl Clark and Edgar Sosa who clash repeatedly with Pitino.
Or Pitino should blame it on the Louisville assistant -- he didn't name him, so it might not be Masiello -- who had been literally waking up Caracter every morning so Caracter could do the things on his daily schedule without getting into more trouble with Pitino.
They're building fine young men at Louisville, aren't they? Sleep late, and we'll wake you up. Break our rules, and we'll still let you play. Come to Louisville, where kids will be kids and the adults will look the other way.
This guy has zero character. He should be suspended for the rest of the season.
Rick Pitino, I mean.
