Remembering Rick Pitino's first trip back to Rupp with Louisville ahead of John Calipari's return

On Saturday, John Calipari will walk onto Cawood’s Court at Rupp Arena as Arkansas’ head coach. That sentence would have seemed like a Mad Lib a year ago, but here we are. While the debate over how Kentucky fans should react to Cal’s return rages on, let’s look back at some historical precedent.

On December 29, 2001, Rick Pitino brought his Louisville Cardinals to Lexington, his first trip back to Rupp since leaving for the Boston Celtics in 1997 and taking the job as head coach of Kentucky’s biggest rival four years later. I was there that day, a senior in high school. My sister and I got to our seats just as the crowd reached a frenzy when the teams took the court.

Tubby Smith came out first to a rousing ovation and “Tub-by, Tub-by!” chants (which would pick up as the game went on). Rick’s return was the main storyline, but it was also an important day for Tubby, who had lost to his former boss five times as Georgia’s head coach before taking over for him in Lexington. He got his first win over Rick that night, an 82-62 victory that was far less interesting than the leadup. Afterward, Keith Bogans and Tayshaun Prince — who combined for 35 points and 16 rebounds — told reporters how happy they were Tubby got his moment in the spotlight.

“I think Coach Smith stepped out of Coach Pitino’s shadow today,” Bogans said, via Jeff Drummond’s recap (via BigBlueHistory.net). “He doesn’t show much emotion, but I’m sure he enjoyed it.”

“I felt good for him,” Prince added. “I think he needs to be appreciated. He’s done a lot here. I think the fact that everyone was focused on this game will make him more appreciated. That’s how it needs to be all the time here.”

Pitino on the boos: “They are not supposed to cheer me”

What does it say that over two decades later, what we remember the most is Rick’s reception? Rupp Arena’s sign game was strong that day, with most calling Pitino (or rather, “Benedictino”) a traitor for returning to college basketball to coach Kentucky’s archrival. For what it’s worth, Pitino laughed the signs off with reporters.

“It was funny, my son came running in, laughing hysterically,” Pitino said, via UK Athletics. “He said, ‘I wish mom was here, there was a sign out there that said, ‘We didn’t like you either, Joanne’ and I wish I could have that sign and bring it back to her.’ I think that’s the way we have to take it all, as a good-natured jest. There were comments tonight that we laughed about. That is what the entertainment of college basketball is all about – you have to be able to laugh. When I go home tonight, my house will not be haunted, I can assure you that.”

That’s why, when Pitino was soundly booed when he walked onto the court (coming from the home tunnel, not the visitor’s tunnel, of course), he didn’t take too much offense.

“I didn’t pay any attention to it,” Pitino said. “I am the Louisville coach. They are not supposed to cheer me. They are supposed to cheer Tubby. I get cheered in Freedom Hall. If they start booing me in Freedom Hall, then I am in trouble.”

John Calipari said he is also prepared for boos when he walks onto the floor at Rupp on Saturday. The variables around Pitino’s return were very different than Calipari’s — Rick left Kentucky on a high for the NBA whereas Cal went straight to Arkansas on a low, Louisville is a much bigger rival than Arkansas, etc. — but both will go down as significant moments in Kentucky Basketball history. Hopefully, Saturday’s game will have the same result, a 20-point win with fans chanting Pope’s name as time expires.

See Rick’s return for yourself below courtesy of our very own Bryan the Intern. (And yes, that’s a young Mick Cronin by Pitino’s side at the 22-second mark. Cronin was on Pitino’s staff at Louisville from 2001-03.)

If you’re really in the mood for a trip down memory lane, the entire game is also available on YouTube.