Family's businesses expand into 

Mt. Juliet

Revelettes plan senior care facility, restaurant

Members of the same family involved in two business ventures that began in Williamson County have chosen Mt. Juliet for additional locations for both.

The Revelette family is investing around $11 million into a new sports-themed restaurant and a senior care facility in the Providence MarketPlace area of Mt. Juliet Maristone at Providence is the senior care and assisted living complex, which recently opened at the end of October at 140 Providence Trail.  

Jonathan’s Grille is the restaurant, which is targeted to open in late May on Providence Parkway in an approximately 7,200-square-foot building between the Kroger and Publix grocery stores and behind First Freedom Bank.  “The original concept was to come up here with the assisted living business, and as we started to do a little more research, we didn’t see any other players doing what we were doing,’’ Curt Revelette, chief executive officer of Maristone at Providence, said of the decision to do the restaurant. “The timing was right.’’ The timing coincides with Mt. Juliet’s growth and the emergence of Providence MarketPlace, said Jonathan’s Grille president Candace Revelette. 

“Providence looks like the Cool Springs explosion 12 years ago,’’ Candace Revelette said. 

The original Jonathan’s Grille opened in 1999 in Cool Springs and has established itself as a sports-themed restaurant with an emphasis on its menu, claiming food sales generate more revenue than alcohol, which will be the same approach in Mt. Juliet.

The Revelettes have another Jonathan’s Grille in Bellevue. They had a Jonathan’s Grille location on Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Road in Nashville that has since been sold.  

Mason Revelette, also a son of Candace Revelette, will manage the Jonathan’s Grille in Mt. Juliet. Candace and husband, Alan Revelette, started with their company Advantage Builders.  “We’re not a basket food restaurant where everything is fried,’’ Candace Revelette said. “We strive to look at (upgrading) the menu every 30 days.’’  The new Jonathan’s Grille restaurant is being built for about $2 million.

It will have private areas that Candace Revelette says will be economical for groups to reserve. One of the private areas will be near a bar for ages 21 and older, and the other will be geared toward family gatherings and business luncheons. Outside patio areas are also planned.

Primed for growth

Jonathan’s Grille evolved from a sports bar to a sports grill after two or three years, and now food accounts for about 70 percent of sales with 30 percent from alcohol, which “wasn’t always that way,’’ Candace Revelette said. The senior care facility was about $9 million. The senior living facility comes after Curt Revelette opened Maristone at Franklin just over a year ago in Williamson County. Maristone at Providence, right behind the Target at Providence MarketPlace, offers assisted living, respite care and adult day services. The facility has 47 units for assisted living. It’s licensed for 86 residents, including up to 18 in a secured wing for memory care. 

Maristone at Providence operates on month-to-month lease agreements, Curt Revelette said.  The first 10 residents moved in at the end of October.  “It resembles a boutique hotel and is more hospitality driven,’’ Curt Revelette said of the business model for Maristone at Providence.  The area surrounding Providence MarketPlace, especially south where Jonathan’s Grille will build, could see more new business according to Mt. Juliet economic development director Kenneth Martin.

The Full Spotlight

The college basketball season kicks off this weekend and with the NBA acting like a bunch of babies, we should see a surge in the love for college basketball.  You will see a true love for the game as these young men compete all across the country and ratings will probably be at an all-time high.  You won't see grown men complaining about making 5, 10 or 15 million a year while really old men say they're losing money, but for some reason refuse to show their books.  It's all ridiculous.  However, we will see UNC & Michigan State battling on a Navy Carrier for our troops.  That's awesome.

I'm excited to see how the early games turn out, especially the Vandy/Oregon and Belmont/Duke games along with the UNC/Michigan State matchup.  Will Vanderbilt be able to live up to the hype of being the 7th ranked team in the country.  We're talking about Vanderbilt here!  They're never ranked 7th in anything except maybe men's tennis (killer back hands).  One of the important things I learned from Coach Pitino about evaluating a team was the amount of seniors, and more specifically senior guards.  For that reason, I think Vanderbilt is going to be able to live up the new expectations and be a serious contender this season with their experience in the backcourt.

As for the Tar Heels and Spartans, it's a good thing that Hansbrough isn't playing anymore because I wouldn't be surprised if he dove over the side going for a lose ball.  That's a long fall.  Heels by 12.

Climbing in the Sunshine State

I spoke with Peter Gash, a first year assistant at Florida Atlantic after being promoted from Director of Operations.  Gash has worked his way up from starting as a manager at Lynn University and to the Graduate Assistant position at Indiana University.


AHT: First, congrats on the promotion to 3rd assistant.  Tell me about coming from Indiana and what steps you took getting this position.


Gash: I learned so much from my time at Indiana I felt like I was given the tools by the coaches there to jump into my next job with both feet. Before coming to Florida Atlantic I had a relationship with Tim Kaine and Mike Jarvis II from working the Duke Basketball camp. I stayed persistent with Coach Jarvis II and Coach Kaine when trying to land a spot on Coach Jarvis's Staff. They were the ones who really helped me come to Florida Atlantic. 

AHT: What would you say is your coaching style, are you a run-and-gun guy or do you have a lock down, defense first mentality?  What coach would you say you try to learn from the most?


Gash: I believe that I'm very much into the defensive aspect of basketball. Coach Jarvis's teams had always been known for their intense defense. The common theme between all the best teams that I have worked for is our ability to defend. I have learned the most form Coach Jarvis, he has done so much for me in terms of seeing the game and teaching the game, what separates him for, any other coach is his ability to teach the game.

AHT: How is it working for such a legendary coach, what have you learned most?


Gash: It has really been an honor to work for Coach Jarvis. When I was younger I used play basketball in the drive way at my house and pretend I played for Coach Jarvis at St. Johns, now I have the opportunity to work for him. Not every day you can go into the office feel like you're at a clinic, and working for Coach it's just like you are.  


More than anything, I have learned from Coach how to "slow down" and teach the game.  Coach Jarvis will make sure that every little detail in done right before we move to the next drill, there is nothing that gets by Coach so you have to on point with every detail. I have also learned how to listen - Coach makes sure that as an assistant you listen and you make listening a talent. 

AHT: What type of guys are you recruiting, more specifically, what are you looking for in a player?


Gash: We go by one philosophy at Florida Atlantic; We recruit "Character not Characters". No matter how talented of a player someone is we make sure they have tremendous character.  As far as basketball skills, we really look for guys with upside, guys who can thrive in our program and really develop each year.


Thanks so much to Pete for taking his time and I hope to see good things out of the Owls this season.

Opening Day

It's finally here.  The "start" of the college basketball season is tonight at midnight, even though it never really ended.  It has become a year-round sport, not just from October 15th to the first week of April.

A week after a team gets knocked out the NCAA Tournament, there's a good chance they're back in the gym having individuals.  It's amazing how the role of a player can change so drastically within only a couple of days - no longer being a freshman, becoming an upperclassman, or all of a sudden having a huge role as a senior leader.  Summer workouts, pick-up games, and shooting on the gun for countless hours keeps players busy at all times, not just between October and March.

Practice or party?  Coaches have to weigh the pros and cons of focusing on having practice versus having a party with 18,000 of your closest friends.  Activities include dunk lines, laughing, and rap music (maybe a celebrity or two - ask Coach Cal).  Practice obviously is best for the team, but a Midnight Madness builds support and momentum with the fans heading into the season.  Furthermore, the players have already been going at it hard for weeks with workouts that maybe they need a break mentally, even if it is only for an hour and a half.

All I know is that it's starting to cool and that means that tipoff is only a couple weeks away.  Good luck to all the teams and I hope these young men stay free from injury as much as possible.

My preseason pick - The Tar Heels of North Carolina

A Wounded Big East

The Big East is going to look A LOT different in a couple years.  If Syracuse and Pittsburgh do in fact go to the ACC, there will be a tremendous whole in the quality of the conference.  It doesn't even sound right to imagine not having Jim Boeheim in the Big East.  There is something magical about the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden each March and it will be hard to imagine losing two of the most dominant teams.

One of the interesting dynamics will be the styles of play that Pitt and Syracuse will bring to the ACC.  These are two extremely tough, rugged teams that will knock the hell out of you.  Their focus is on rebounding and the famous Boeheim 2-3 zone, respectively.  The ACC is known for his finesse, up-tempo style of play which isn't necessarily the complete opposite of Syracuse and Pitt, but it clearly isn't the first thing you think of with these two programs.

Coach Pitino wrote in his blog that the Big East has to stick together and find football programs immediately.  He is thinking about the short-term necessity of gaining teams to fill the void, but if you look 3 or 4 years down the road, there is an enormous opportunity brewing in Louisville, Kentucky.  In my opinion, Louisville just became an unbelievably attractive job once Coach Pitino retires.  It clearly is already a great school to coach at, but think about the current the Big East gauntlet that teams play in  - You could play Villanova, Pitt, and at Marquette in a matter of 10 days.  That's absolutely brutal.  If you take Pitt and Syracuse out of the equation, you're looking at Villanova, Notre Dame, and Marquette as the hardest competition.

Taking over for Coach Pitino whenever he retires could be the perfect situation in a Pitt/Syracuse-less Big East that will soon by wide open for taking.

"Last Friday Night"

On-campus visits are a tremendous opportunity for teams to recruit in hopes of a commitment. Both coaches and recruits talk about their "experience" while on campus. It has to be a great "experience" for the kids and their families to make a commitment. Well, from a behind the scenes perspective - it's a borderline 3-ring circus.

The best weekends for kids to come visit is when there is a lot going on campus, especially in the fall during the big football game weekends. It definitely helps Billy Donovan to have 100,000 fans screaming for the Gators on Saturdays, and these coaches play that up. They have to.

The weekends start with a Friday night fly-in and a curbside pick up from the coaches, straight to a dinner that's waiting for them (steaks, anyone? Also, make sure they're well-done!) Friday night has to be a blast for the kid. Parties and girls. These guys want to meet girls when they come to campus, it's a fact. You better be sure for him to meet some or it will put a negative outlook for the entire visit.

Saturday mornings are usually a team tailgate that has an impressive food spread for 25 enormous young men. Adoring fans are constantly coming over to creep out the players and shake the assistant strength coach's hand. The hardcore fans are aware of what recruits are on campus and will try their best to help the school get a commit by screaming their name like it's the Holy Grail.

It's a constant effort by everyone to cut up and tell jokes. You have to keep the recruit stimulated the entire weekend. If the kid becomes bored, most of the time the experience isn't quite right and he'll look at other schools favorably where he had more fun. If that happens, all of the peons whose job it was to make the weekend amazing gets cussed out.

Sunday is all about hugs and "we'll see you soon!" Coaches stay up at night praying that wasn't the last time they wave goodbye. It's like a sappy high school break up; they're suicidal when "the one" gets away, but a week later they are calling someone else.

Rasheen Davis - Xavier Assistant

My second interview was with Xavier assistant Rasheen Davis.  Rasheen and I worked a year together at Louisville and have remained in contact over the past four years.  He has demonstrated the ability to grow in this business through networking and hard work.  I spoke with him about his past, working his way up the coaching ranks, and comparing styles between some of the coaches he's worked for.

To give a little background on Davis before Xavier - he played Division II ball and immediately began coaching on staff after graduation.  After three seasons in high school, he returned to the college game at Louisville as a Program Assistant then on to Pitt as the Video Coordinator for a couple seasons.  Rasheen's biggest strength is in the New York City area, with great connections in the recruiting world that he established while working with the legendary NY Gauchos AAU program.

AHT: Hey Ra, great to talk to you again.  First of all, tell me how you got into coaching.


Davis: I blew out my knee my senior year of college when I was playing for St. Thomas Aquinas.  It was then, in 2002, that I began to see things differently while on the sidelines.  I began to see the game from a coaching perspective.  After I graduated, I stayed on staff and worked there for 3 years.  It was a great opportunity to begin coaching right out of college.

AHT: Then you went to powerhouse Rice High School, right?


Davis: Ya, I went to Rice.  I'd played there for three years in high school, and always kept in touch in with Coach Mo Hicks.  He wanted a young guy on the staff and it worked out.  When I came in, Edgar (Sosa) and Curtis (Kelly) were both seniors, Kemba Walker was a sophomore, Durand Scott and "Momo" Jones were both freshman.  We had a great group of guys to work with.

AHT: Ya, that's an amazing high school team.  What did you take from working with guys that talented?


Davis: Well, I played with Elton Brand for 5 years in AAU growing up, so I've always been used to big time players like that.  It was all I knew.  It was great though, because Rice's practices were college level practices.  We did what places like Louisville did in practice.  People see how successful some of these coaches like Coach Pitino and their style, so they implement it into what they're doing at the high school level.

AHT: So what brought you from Rice back to the collegiate level?


Davis: My whole goal was to be a D1 assistant.  I chose to network and work at every camp I could when I easily could have gone on vacations.  (He begins to laugh on the phone, it's obvious he's immediately thinking back to friends inviting him to vacations that he sacrificed on along the way.  He laughs contently at the choices he's made, and thousands of hours working toward this goal.)

AHT: What's the best thing you've learned after nearly a decade in coaching basketball?


Davis: The best thing I've learned is to get better every day.  Right now as I'm coming into my second year here at Xavier, I'm working on becoming more vocal.  The terminology is different everywhere you go and now that I am a lot more comfortable with this system and program, I've really got to step up and become more vocal.

AHT: What about Coach Mack at Xavier?  Tell me a little about him.


Davis: He's different than both Coach Pitino and Coach Dixon.  He gives the players a lot of freedom on the court to create.  He's definitely a player's coach and the guys really like him.  When you look at Pitino, it's all about the press and speeding teams up, Dixon stresses rebounding at tough half-court defense, but Coach Mack is about executing our defensive scheme.  We have a unique shame on defense and we really focus on accomplishing that as a unit.

AHT: Sounds great, Ra.  I know Xavier is going to have another great season in the A-10.

A Fallen Soldier

One of the most beloved players in all of basketball, Edgar Sosa, went down with a gut-wrentching injury this week, breaking his shin. It was one of the most painful videos I've ever seen, both teams actually were crying as Sosa writhed in agony on the floor. Whether it was because of the screams of pain, respect for Edgar, the severity of the injury, or all of the above, it was definitely hard not to get emotional at the end of only a 20 second video clip.

Edgar is living out his dream - playing professional basketball, representing his national Dominican Republic team, and most importantly supporting his family by playing the game he loves. His continued success will have to be put on hold for a while, unfortunately. My heart sank when Louie Larizza (current PG at Fairleigh Dickinson) told me about Edgar. We were all at Louisville together and even though Coach Pitino was tough on Edgar, he was always willing to tell a joke that made everyone laugh. His laugh and smile are both contagious with a magnetic personality as well.

So many people have reached out on places like Twitter to offer their support for Edgar. Chris Paul, Charlie Villanueva, Coach Calipari, and even hard core Kentucky fans who hate anything red have all extended a positive message for Edgar and a speedy recovery.

I wish my good friend nothing but the best. Edgar - please get well soon so you can get back to what you love most - playing the game of basketball. You're such a good person and we all love and support you very much. Don't get down and frustrated because that's not you!

- Mase

Ok, what's his number?

You can study film and talk X's and O's all day long, but if you don't have the players that can get it done on the court, it doesn't matter.  The best slogan I heard when evaluating high-level talent is, "Does he take you to a Final Four?"  If it isn't an immediate "yes," then you keep looking for your best potential players.

One of the most important things I learned in college basketball was the importance of recruiting, which can't be stressed enough.  Also, it's not only who you recruit, but how.  I have seen some really good recruiting styles and I have seen some that can make you cringe because you know there's not a connection between a player and a coach.  I've seen a player and his family feel honored to be in the same room as a coach and I've also seen the complete opposite where a player has the coach in the palm of his hand.  The latter usually doesn't turn out well for the team - it's usually catching a game, a free meal, and trying to hook up that night while on campus.

Recruiting has essentially turned into a 3-ring circus.  It is no longer about visiting a kid at his home, enjoying a home cooked meal, and speaking to the mother and father about turning that young man into a grown man with maturity and a degree.  Rather, for the most part, it's about being the shortest route from high school to the NBA with college as a crash course.  Coaches have to try to cram four years of development, strength, maturity, skills, and game experience into a season.  The worst part?  If they don't recruit this way, they automatically miss out on the top players in the country.  Furthermore, with the pressure to make the NCAA tournament every season, coaches cannot miss out on the best players and chalk a season up to "rebuilding" while the school 200 miles away is on a roll.

Most often the person the coaches are recruiting is not the player, but instead it's the person who is in "charge" of the kid's recruiting.  I've heard, "Ok, what's his number" way too many times because there's always someone else that you have to talk to.   Also, where a coach is from originally and what connections they have already established can be some of the biggest factors in being hired or not and signing a recruit or not.  Why?  Because of the large number of people involved now with recruiting elite players.  AD's and head coaches realize that the ability to get players is fundamental in hiring a coach, and will hire weaker X & O coaches in lieu of "recruiting" coaches who are connected in the recruiting world.

It's a cut-throat world of recruiting.  It's constantly making calls, visits, and appearances at games.  News flash:  coaches don't have to see a kid play 37 times in a summer to evaluate, they know in about 2 minutes if a kid can play or not.  It is to constantly be in front of the kid and his family.  College basketball is about 80% recruiting and 20% coaching.  Coaches have to get players but only have to have the ability to coach their system enough to make it through the season.  If you don't believe the 80-20 ratio, think about this - Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone and John Calipari's dribble drive offense are brain surgery and they seem to be doing great.

Gotta go, this kid's uncle's friend is calling.

The Fab 5

Since we're still 6 weeks away from practice officially starting across the country, I wanted to dive further into comparing some of the greatest coaches.  Taking into account wins, Final Fours, NBA players produced, and the intangibles, I have compiled a list in my opinion of the top five coaches of all time.  All of these coaches could make reasonable arguments for replacing each other on a list like this.

When you look at the list of these coaches, you see one common denominator - they all have a deep respect, appreciation and often love from their players.

5. Rick Pitino - 597 career wins so far at Boston, Providence, Kentucky, & Louisville
         
Pitino is the only coach to take 3 different schools to a Final Four, which means whatever the system he implements - press, running, and 3's - must work and he knows how to coach it.  Pitino's focus is on a feverish team defense designed to speed up opponents to play out of their comfort and taking a high number of open 3's.

Personally seeing Coach Pitino operate on a daily basis for four years was amazing.  He knows what it takes to have a successful team and does not let players take a short cut getting there.  Everything he teaches starts with a defensive basis.  He always told his players that if they had put in the time practicing and missed good, open shots in games he wouldn't ever say a word to them - and he didn't.  But if a player didn't make the right defensive rotation to cover for a teammate, it was a disaster for that player.

Pitino thrives on momentum and the ability for his teams to score, press, and create turnovers for easy baskets.  Louisville had an amazing stat last season with the number 8-0 runs they had against their opponents that gave them wins they wouldn't have had in slower, half-court paced games.  But again, that's Pitino's teams ability to enforce their will on opponents.

I'm also going to make a bold call here - Pitino 2020 Governor of Kentucky.  Mark it down.  Mayor of Louisville at least.

4. Dean Smith - 879 career wins in 36 years all at North Carolina (which is astounding in itself).
         
Smith is a beloved figure in North Carolina.  His calming and caring personality was a Smith signature and he prided himself in caring for his players on a personal level past their days at UNC, whether that was playing basketball or in business.  As for the hardwood, it was hard to find many with accomplishments like these - 11 Final Fours with 2 National Titles, 27 consecutive 20-win seasons (wow), and a 96% graduation rate.

Smith's book, The Carolina Way was one of the best books I ever read.  It taught me about running a program with class and character versus only looking at the scoreboard.  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in coaching.  Of course it's a lot easier to say to focus more than the scoreboard when you coach 27 All-Americans who annihilate the competition anyway!  Remember that Michael Jordan guy?

Honestly though, I always highly respected Smith's demeanor on the sideline.  Many of his amazing principles of class and sophistication have been lost in a game that has turned so shady, unfortunately.  I think the game is missing a coach like Dean Smith.

3. Bobby Knight - The General has the record of the most career wins with 902 at Army, Indiana, & Texas Tech.
         
Bobby Knight is only the second coach to lead a team to an undefeated season, with the 1976 squad going 32-0 and winning the National Championship.  Knight utilized the motion offense with an uncommonly high percentage of midrange jump shots compared to the rest of the country once the 3-point line was instituted, and a hard-nose man to man defense.  You knew what you were going to get with Knight's teams, but it was a matter of being tough and skilled enough to compete.

Knight is an interesting character.  When I spent a year working at IU, you speak to two of the amazing staff members who worked for Knight and still work for the program.  They tell funny stories like after filming a commercial, a company may send a dish washer or refrigerator and he would offer it to the staff members as a gift, but they weren't allowed to say thank you excessively or it would piss him off... which as we know is a horrible idea.  It's hard for me to make up my mind about Knight.  On one hand you hear first hand stories of a really nice guy that genuinely cared about people.  On the other hand, however, seeing the footage of him grabbing his own player by the throat is something I'll never be able to get out of my head.

There was a point when Pitino was about 5 feet away on my left and Bob Knight was 5 feet to my right.  Neither seemed to be in a great mood.  I looked straight down at the ground.  Don't laugh, you would have too.

2. Mike Krzyzewski - Bobby's Knight's protege has also eclipsed 900 wins with a 900-284 record at his alma mater Army & at Duke.
           
Krzyzewski has won 4 national titles and been to a total of 11 Final Fours.  He took over a struggling Duke program that had been overshadowed by Dean Smith and UNC and by his 6th season had a 37-3 record with a National Runner up appearance to Denny Crum's Louisville.

Duke teams always demonstrate tremendous offensive spacing with players' abilities to take advantage by penetrating.  Usually four players on the floor also have the ability to shoot the 3, eliminating help defense.  Krzyzewski keeps it simple in principle with a mixture of elite and role players forming an extremely cohesive unit.

Mike shows no sign of slowing with a 2010 National Title and fantastic recruits lining up every year.  As long as he continues to coach, he will further increase his unbelievable coaching career.  Think about the point guards Coach K has had over the past decade - Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, Greg Paulus, Nolan Smith, Kyrie Irving (who never really got to demonstrate is talents in Durham), with young Austin Rivers committed to take over next.  Jason Williams was one of the best college players I have ever seen and his battles against Maryland and Juan Dixon will go down as some of the best basketball I have ever witnessed.  I've got the recorded VHS tapes to prove it.

1. John Wooden - Not only did Wooden win 10 National Titles at UCLA, but was also a 3-time All-American and won a National Title while playing a Purdue in 1932.

How do you even begin to compete with 10 National Championships?  Oh, maybe by saying that 7 of them were in a row!  Throw in an 88 game winning streak over 4 seasons, and you've got a run away in the competition for the greatest coach of all time.  Over 34% of the time he coached....he won the national championship.  That's pure insanity.

Winning 10 national titles in 12 years is a feat that I can confidently say will never be repeated in college basketball.  But not only did Wooden and UCLA dominate on the court, but his players loved him.  It is hard to find a negative story about Wooden as a coach and as a man.  He treated all of his players with great respect and he was successful with his management and coaching styles.

Wooden passed away in June of 2010 and left a hole in the basketball world.

These 5 coaches have polar opposite coaching philosophies, personalities, and personal styles.  However, they can all coach the hell out of basketball.  It's amazing what these men have and continue to accomplish not only on the court, but off the court developing young men.  I can't wait to see who is next to come along to make a run at these legends.

Pitino's Family Tree

How do you begin to rank coaches?  Total wins, Final Four appearances, or the ability to get the most out of a team - what says the most about a coach?  Consider the ability to unleash assistants to taking over their own programs.  As we approach the 2011-2012 season, Coach Pitino has further added to his enormous coaching tree with Steve Masiello taking over at Manhattan College, where he began his coaching career under the one and only Bobby Gonzalez.

Currently, seven head coaches have worked for Pitino, with more assistants both in the NBA and the collegiate ranks.  Chris Brickley, who played at Louisville two years ago, recently became an assistant at Farleigh Dickinson University, and Matt Wilson followed Masiello to Manhattan.  Long-time NBA veteran and NCAA Champ Walter McCarty is now on the sidelines for the Indiana Pacers.  Furthermore, Mick Cronin and Kevin Willard compete in the Big East with Pitino's Cardinals, with Masiello in the wings to take over a major conference program in the future as well.

Compare Pitino to Dean Smith and his predecessors of Larry Brown, George Karl, Roy Williams, Eddie Fogler, and Matt Doherty.  What has more weight - Pitino's 3 Final Four's with three different schools versus Smith's 879 total wins?  Both are unmatched coaching feats, so what's the deciding factor in trying to rank coaches from different eras, conferences, and expectations?

One thing is for certain, as long as Pitino continues to coach the game of basketball, he will teach the game of basketball on a deep, sophisticated level for players and coaches to take and run with.

The College Roommate

My former Louisville roommate, Billy O'Meara, was recently hired at the University of Florida as the assistant video coordinator.  When I was thinking about who to speak with for my first blog, it was obvious to reach out to the guy who lived 10 feet away.

AHT: When you were entering your senior year at Louisville, did you know where you end up?


Billy: I absolutely had no idea where I would go.  I hoped Mass (Coach Steve Masiello) would help me and working with Matt Morris (Louisville) with film stuff everyday that everything would hopefully work out.

AHT: Did you ever find yourself worrying about next season and what the future might bring?


Billy: Sometimes, even in May after I graduated I still didn't know where I was going.  I eventually heard that in early July I would hear from Florida, but in this business everything doesn't move as quickly as you'd hope.  It wasn't until mid August that I heard from them, on my birthday actually.  You have to be patient!


AHT: Tell me about getting the job at Florida.


Billy: Well, I met a lot of their staff and managers when I came down previously to work camp during the summer.  A manager let me know that the assistant video job was open, so I immediately got in contact with the video coordinator, sent him my resume, and came back down to work camp for a week.  It was my week long interview.


Also, with the hires of Norm Roberts and John Pelphrey, it was an amazing opportunity to work for 3 head coaches.  They will definitely get head jobs again and hopefully they will need to take some guys with them, so it couldn't have worked out better.


AHT: What about the upcoming season for Florida?


Billy: We're going to have an interesting team because we're loaded with guards.  We may go 4 guards on the floor, which would be great for the press.


Patric Young is a sophomore and is an absolute beast.  I think he will be a lottery pick when it's all said and done.  Also, I personally feel Eric Murphy is going to be very important for us this year because of his size and ability to step out and shoot the 3.


We're doing individuals right now and they're actually quite similar to Coach Pitino's workouts, which makes sense because they obviously work.


AHT: Appreciate it, Bill.  Have a great season!


Billy: Do work, son.

The Basketball Family

My basketball family is growing.  Now as an outsider looking in, this is my way to stay connected as they continue to grow as players & coaches.

I will analyze, interview, and discuss basketball to show a different side than most.  Behind the story lines, I will dive into the grind that we know as college basketball.