LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich knows the lurid details that came to light during the trial of a woman who tried to extort millions from Rick Pitino could affect some people’s perception of the highly successful coach.
Jurich isn’t one of them.
He reiterated his support for Pitino on Thursday after a jury found Karen Cunagin Sypher guilty of three counts of extortion, two counts of lying to the FBI and one count of retaliating against a witness.
Pitino acknowledged during six hours of testimony that he had a sexual encounter with Sypher at a Louisville restaurant in July 2003. She demanded millions in exchange for her silence, leading Pitino to eventually tell authorities about the plot.
“I feel very proud in the fact that he did own up to everything,” Jurich said. “He understood the consequences taking this to the U.S. Attorney, taking this to the government. He knew his name would be dragged through the mud but he also wanted the facts out there because the only thing that would vindicate him in this case were the facts.”
Jurich stressed “there were no winners” in the process but added the university would not discipline Pitino for his conduct. Pitino publicly apologized last summer for what he then called an “indiscretion” at the request of university president James Ramsey.
Pitino, who was not available for comment after the verdict was announced, signed a four-year contract extension in the spring that will keep him at Louisville through 2017.
“He’s a grand ambassador for this athletic program,” he said. “When he came here [in 2001], it was a difficult time for all of us and he’s made it much, much better. This is an error in judgment, which he’s always said and been up front with and I certainly think it won’t happen again.”
Juror Charles Smith, who acknowledged he’s a Louisville fan, said he didn’t come to any conclusions about Pitino or his character.
“He was not the one on trial here,” Smith said. “Whatever was being said about him during the trial never affected me at all.”
Jurich has no concerns whether the trial will impact Pitino’s job performance, pointing out that Pitino went straight from the witness stand to the recruiting trail.
“He spent the last days of the live [recruiting] period going 180 mph, so he’s very committed to making this work,” Jurich said.
— (AP)
ANDERSON PLANNING VISITS
Credit DePaul coach Oliver Purnell with getting some of the biggest names in high school basketball to visit his campus.
Anthony Davis visited earlier this week and 6-foot-8 junior guard Kyle Anderson of St. Anthony visited with his father on Thursday in advance of the adidas Nations event in Chicago.
“DePaul is great,” Kyle Anderson Sr. said by text. “Beautiful campus and facility. Great relationship with staff. We both liked it a lot.”
Anderson he played brilliantly on the summer circuit with the Playaz and now boasts offers from Louisville, Kentucky, Arizona, Georgia Tech, DePaul, UMass, Wake Forest, Maryland, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Miami, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Xavier and interest from North Carolina, Indiana, Baylor, Virginia, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Memphis.
Kyle Sr. said his son will visit La Salle and Seton Hall “in the month of August.”
Anderson and his St. Anthony teammates will also accompany head coach Bob Hurley to the Naismith Hall of Fame induction ceremonies next weekend in Springfield, Mass, where they will conduct a clinic on Thursday.
MSU’S ALLEN TRANSFERRING
Former Michigan State guard Chris Allen will transfer to a school outside of Michigan.
His mother, Janice Allen, told The Detroit News that she had received calls from Notre Dame, UConn, Memphis and South Florida, among others.
“The phones have been blowin’ up,” Janice told the newspaper on Thursday. “He’s definitely going to start soon at another school. There definitely won’t be any relax time.”
