Last weekend, Kentucky Basketball held a reunion for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 teams. Several former players, staff members, and Tubby Smith returned to Lexington for the celebration, which included a reception Friday night and a ceremony at halftime of the Tennessee game on Saturday. It was a wonderful moment for the program and its fans, but one big name was missing: Rick Pitino.
Pitino, who coached the 1996 National Champions and the 1997 Runners-Up, was unable to attend, as Iona played on Friday and Sunday. According to Ryan Lemond on KSR this morning, Pitino also declined to send in a video message as several others like Scott Padgett, Mark Pope, and Tony Delk did.