Marching Into Madness | Chapter 2: The Honeymoon is Over

What we did with the meat and potatoes.

OK, now the stuff that you gotta know what's coming.

Louisville demanded a revival, and this dude didn't disappoint.

Even went and won ACC Coach of the Year while he was at it.

Not a bad debut for a feisty little engine that could.

Hold on, hold on one second.

It's Dick Vitale.

Like I'm meeting with Dick Vitale.

This is so cool.

I'm like starstruck, man.

It was awesome , man.

It's an honor, coach.

You know, Skip Prosser would be so proud of you.

Well, thank you.

That's my mentor.

It hurts getting stabbed straight through the heart, but it hurts a hell of a lot worse when it's the pitchfork of a Blue Devil.

But big picture, it's all blue skies, especially when you go from worst to fighting for first in the ACC championship.

This revival is now reality, so is Card Nation happy?

Hell no.

In this town , 2nd place ain't gonna cut it.

I would say 2 of our banners are missing.

We went to the Final Four my junior year with a special team, special, special team.

And then my senior year, you know, we won the championship, won it all, but hopefully one day they go back up there, um.

You know, especially the way things are going, and, you know, we felt like we didn't do anything wrong.

From who we were on the court, didn't have any I mean any advantages and.

Like I said, one day hopefully they come back and they honor the guys who put the blood, sweat, and tears on the court and Won games Peyton Siva has strong ties to Louisville's glorious infamous past and is now one of the architects of its present.

His new role help PK assemble a team of elite dedicated players who are focused on only one thing.

No, not that.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

Alright, he's not a paid actor, so I actually got Milo when I was at Boise State going to my sophomore year, and he's almost 4 years old now, so he's, uh, he's been on the road.

He's flew everywhere with me around the country, uh , so that's my guy right here.

Uh, this is my youngest boy.

I just got.

His name is Kaba.

He is a purebred Maine Coon.

I got him from a breeder.

He is only about 67 months, so he's almost as big as my cat that's 4 years old.

So yeah, this is me.

This is Mercedes S580s, yeah, this is it right here.

Red guts, you know, got to for Louisville.

Got the red, the red lights going on too, you know, I rep red every day.

So I think my first check was for red 1000, um, and that was just like a signing bonus for like one month.

Uh, now I have basically 10, 9 more months after that of basically almost equivalent payments, um, so yeah, this was basically the first thing I got was my car, uh.

Definitely some good little good little ride for me.

I like riding just to listen to music like that's the best part about getting here for me, uh, because I don't drive too much, man.

Reminds me of my old ride in college cruising campus in my Suzuki samurai slinging pizzas, but these days, I guess it pays to play hoops if you want a real piece of the pie, no doubt money's a great motivator.

But it can't be the only one.

You know, the task that we had in front of us when we took this job, it was a big elephant that you could only eat one bite at a time.

We knew that the implementation of our culture was as important as anything else because we say culture eats strategy for lunch and your culture and the success that you're gonna have as a program, uh, starts first and foremost with the caliber of leadership that you have.

So I think us getting the right people in place from that regard is very, very important.

And having 3 individuals like Kobe Rogers, James Scott, and Rayne Smith, who you want those 3 guys to marry your daughters on day 1, to have those guys walking in the door and they can finish your sentences and they're believers, they believe in in me and I believe in them.

OK.

Coach Kelsey delivered this sharp shooting Tasmanian devil all the way from down under to Charleston, so they both went moving on up to Cardinal country.

But as Raine and his teammates arrive in the Bahamas for their first real stress test at the Battle for Atlantis.

Rain better be letting some threes rain.

Guys talk about wanting to be coached every day and they're an everyday guy until it's literally every single day.

There's days where you don't feel like going.

I've had plenty of days where I don't feel like practicing, I feel the best, and as soon as you get uh cross those white lines in like a PK practice, you just get you ready to go for it.

Here we go.

Well, how about being a little bit more realistic.

You're sitting right down here, be, be like here.

I've been really drawn to that and kind of his approach and his beliefs, not only on court, but off the court too, is something that I find myself believing in, uh, with everything I got.

Go over there and like talk to him a little bit, engage, right?

Are you allowed to pass?

Can you pass?

Pretty much been with 3 schools with him, and ever since then there's always been a great relationship with him and kind of a connection that's been pretty special.

Yeah, I mean, I'd follow PK just about anywhere.

After being in the program for a year, uh, kind of helping the new guys understand PK, understand what he wants, he's going to be tough on you, and he expects it to be perfect every single time, even though he knows it's not going to be, which is the annoying part for some players like myself.

Two sides and his energy every day, you know, it's, it's incomparable to any other, you know, he's he's one of one, truly one of one.

Hey, I don't tell you guys this enough, but you guys are an absolute positive joy to coach.

Unbelievable attitude, unbelievable professionalism every day.

You buy into the culture of relentless effort, competitive excellence, and the power of the unit, and that is what's gonna win the game today.

Let's breaking.

shall be loved.

The first match up against a ranked Indiana team is a chance for all the elements of this group to start coming together.

I don't think you are.

Dusk till dawn.

I turn my speakers on.

Why they want to play with the king.

I told them, meet LeBron, it's darkness in my city.

Rome moves and you won't see the sun.

They be talking loud but never been where the creatures hunt.

this dream, so why your eyes closed.

Pain, look at me and now my strides.

I always knew PK was super locked in because he recruited me out of junior college before I went to South Florida and he kind of spooked me in the recruiting process, you know , kinda just, he called me, he's like, You're gonna come here, you're gonna work the hardest you've ever worked, you're gonna be the coach, the hardest you've ever coached.

I, I wasn't really sure if I was ready for that.

I ended up playing in South Florida and it was good.

But even after South Florida, his recruiting pitch was the same, you know, I'm gonna work you, you know, I wanna get the best out of you.

Come on, he's like he'll be so mad.

Like, come on, come on now, we need you to come.

So eventually he ended up calling me like, alright, come on, we gotta make this work, and you know, we ended up getting it done.

you can't absorb.

I that's a rap.

I gotta see how PK, how locked in he is, because you know on the flight he's already watching film of the game, boom boom, boom.

Maybe like 30 minutes later I look over like damn, he's still on his computer, but I look at him and he's sleeping.

Coach is just like literally sleep with his computer out, notes out.

Tell him listen up every single word to load a clip, and I don't miss on the mic, so when I rap it's just a different.

I'll catch him like wake up every few and then he'll be like, yeah, this bag locked in.

So it's, it's crazy, man, like.

I don't think they're listening.

Basketball has been my whole life, you know, it's all I've ever known.

And then obviously getting to the opportunity I have now coming to, you know, college where NIL is such a big thing and it's life changing.

Who's your daddy?

These are the big W's.

These big ballers were brought in to hand deliver.

Louisville's frustrated fan base burned through a whole lot of bourbon waiting for a winning team like this.

I came in about the middle of 2015, so 10 years.

It's been a Shakespearean 10 years.

82 to 76 is the finale .

For the 3rd time.

national team.

Rick Pitino becomes the first.

A huge draw to coming here was Louisville coming off of the 2013 national championship, the year of the Cardinal, you know, really firing on all cylinders.

How about a Cardinal fans, it's been quite a ride this year.

The number one seed in the NCAA tournament looped through a tough Midwest region, and they finally pull it off.

And it's amazing how things can change on a dime.

We took some back to back punches pretty hard in 2015 with the first NCAA investigation and then followed by postseason ban in 2016 followed by.

The sanctions coming in 2017 only to be backed up by an FBI investigation.

Coach, good seeing you.

Good to see you, Jack.

Welcome, coach.

Thank you.

Thanks for coming.

Appreciate you guys being here.

Appreciate you being here.

We are the pro franchise here.

We are the city's team.

This athletic department is an economic engine for the region, you know, to the tune of.

$1.25 billion annually.

So goes the Louisville basketball, so goes the entire system.

And when that engine isn't running at full capacity, it affects a lot of people.

We tell people all the time, you know, if you live here, you have a vested interest in us being successful, whether you cheer for us or not.

And you are, you are freaking and you have changed, you have changed the culture.

I know we gotta win some games, we really appreciate that.

I mean that.

I mean that.

Thanks for coming.

Looking back you can see how much it made us better to be able to get punched in the mouth and come back from it .

There's something really freeing about rock bottom.

He has changed the culture right here baby.

Josh Heard put his neck on the line for me.

He entrusted me with the Ferrari of all Ferraris of college basketball, and that's Louisville basketball.

I'm trying my best and I think we're doing a good job of it is not changing in terms of how we approach every day, how we coach our team, how we motivate, uh, the priorities we set, uh, but I, I'm not changing just because money is involved.

Just stay with it, stay with it, you know, and then you gotta win as well.

And when we put all this thing together and we're building our NIL, people are contributing, you feel pressure all the time.

You feel pressure every day, but there's parts of you that sit back and go, we better stink and win, you know.

Uh, because you want those people to, to continue to contribute because they see your vision, they see what you're building, they see the trajectory of the program, Finish your game, finish your game.

You know, it, it, it has certainly felt like it's waiting to break open, right?

Like there's so much good here.

But it's certainly been 2 steps forward, 3 steps back.

Until now it seemed like every time we really got air in the tires, something would happen.

But when Louisville basketball is rolling.

It's incredible.

Hey bud, what is it, Virginia?

Take me home.

That's I don't like it.

Sorry, I love it.

You guys got swagger.

We're always gonna do it the right way, so I just went over and apologize.

Just have some class.

It's all right.

Don't worry about it.

You, that was great.

That was great.

Do the right thing.

Lord, thank you for no serious injuries.

Are you superstitious?

Still wearing those same stinky good luck socks?

Well, you might need them.

Tempting fate with too much bravado is a great way to earn a slice of humble pie.

Hope you're hungry.

So I heard you fight and you.

I the one that That's a whole lot of talent and money getting carried off that court, but if true character and culture is really the engine driving this team, then a few bad breaks shouldn't be able to break them, right?

Shut up.

Shut up, Jamon.

You're right here.

Noah, you're right here.

Chucky, take the bottom up.

You got it.

I need you now, OK?

Yeah, OK, catch it right here.

But sometimes no matter what you do it's in God's hands or in this case the other team's hands even when you do everything right plan for every possible outcome, the outcome sometimes sucks, and all you can do is literally watch it happen.

He stepped over the railing, reached the cross.

He's like this.

He reached.

He's like this.

Fucking bullshit.

He's all the way across the freaking ball.

We just saw the fucking tape.

He's on the fucking line.

Hey, fuck.

Fucking bullshit.

Big E, man, it's a big E, what's your R, you know what I mean?

That's life.

For sure, OK, I love you.

Proud of you.

we're, we, we're in this, if we think about it , we're in the same spot last year in Myrtle Beach, same spot last year, Myrtle Beach.

It's just part of, no, but we just lost our best player too.

It's part of the process.

Part of the process we're gonna be fine.

Next man up.

What a bummer.

If that seems like an ice cold wrap on season one, don't worry.

The new year means new hope.

There's no outside pressure that is bigger, more impactful than the pressure that I put on myself every single day.

Hey, war by war, possession by possession, 38 to 60 means every tick of the clock defensively matters.

Guard him at.

Let's go cook.

I, I do.

I have that sense that I'm just always trying to earn my keep.

Am I good enough?

Here we go.

here we go, 312.

I am very fortunate, I should say fortunate, fortunate in a lot of ways that I'm taking over a blue blood prestigious tradition rich program that's coming off a couple of really hard years.

Look, that doesn't fall short on me that understand that I'm lucky in that regard.

You know, I'm still the new guy.

The honeymoon is not over yet.

A heated.

Want to see you.

Where are you?

Level, that's the standard all the time.

The Louisville basketball has always had a moxie to it, a swag, a relentless, resilient.

Don't you run off.

You made a promise when you let your gun off, so now I'm here to punt off.

Bitch, I'm looking for some trouble.

Where's that?

Where's that?

Where's it?

It's that thing everybody can relate to.

Come out swinging and come out fighting.

The city falls in love with you.

Yeah, let's go, brother.

Congrats, bro.

Appreciate it.

Hey Jack, what's up brother?

Way to go, man.

That's a good win, coach.

Thanks, buddy.

I'm really good at staying present and just focusing on the next thing, but it is pretty cool to get above the trees and.

Realize kind of what we got going here and it's pretty special.

That's it.

As players, not players.

Congrats.

It's been a whirlwind since that buzzer went off Charleston and we lost in the NCAA tournament.

There was no vacations, there was no rest.

Got the job of my dreams, moved my entire family, worked around the clock.

Our staff signed.

13 players, uh, uh, got some momentum, got it going, and then just the seeds that we've been planning and building for the team for next year.

Awesome job, man.

Happy New Year.

You know, we've had our ups and downs, had injuries, had some great wins, bad losses, but like today was an indication that the revival's real.

What a difference a year makes.

27-8, 18-2 in the ACC, including a 9 game win streak in Louisville.

It's never too early to bust out the bourbon.

Growing up my dad always was like, kiddo, everything will come together, but it all works out in the end and um.

And I think that that is what we are seeing kind of in real time is that all of these puzzle pieces over the last 10 years that have been put and moved around and put in different spaces, they're all clicking and locking into place.

I can't do it.

I'm 49, fellas.

It's bad.

You guys look like auto mechanics.

Louisville basketball has always had a swagger to it.

Like it is a cool brand.

It is a cultural icon, and intersection of sport and culture here.

Hi, Mayor, how are you?

Good to see you.

Good seeing you.

All right, thanks for coming over.

Thank you.

Well, guys, thank you all so much for what you've done for our city.

We have such amazing positive momentum that's going on all across Louisville right now, and one of those big reasons is because you all.

Be able to be ourselves and get back to that without anything hanging over our head.

There, there is a huge freedom in being able to be truly authentic.

And so we are making everyone lifetime honorary citizens of the city of Louisville so you remember this year.

Thank you so much pleasure.

Thank you guys.

You always hear alignment in culture and, and all of that and, and sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong, but you have people that really care and I'm really excited for our fans.

I'm excited for.

Our staff to have those experiences that that we know are coming.

Thank you, appreciate it.

This is ridiculous.

Why not?

So I wasn't gonna wear it.

Because I was like, I'm 49 years old and the guys were like, Coach, you gotta wear it.

I'm like, all right, why not?

I wanna thank Adidas for these great outfits, forward thinking, trying to get them in every color.

For us, I think we really felt, we fell short to a certain extent because you gotta think the previous 2 years we had won, uh, regular season championship, conference championship, obviously went to the NCAA tournament there as well.

You get to all these, you know, benchmarks, whether it's short term in terms of battle for Atlanta's championship, or, you know, right in the hunt of ACC regular season, but you don't necessarily control your own destiny, you know, as good as we did in comparison to what had been.

I don't think we achieved like we wanted to or like we were capable of.

So if anything, now the hunger is there even more to do what we do, you know, we didn't cut down one net.

You know, journey itself was great, just proved that we're capable of doing the same thing we did at Charleston here, but I think that ultimately there's more there.

I almost prefer people doubting.

Me or us in that instance, and that creates, again, a level of competition, like, OK, so that's how you feel, bet, bet, like, I got you, and I'm keeping the receipt on what you think.

The Cardinals are back, sort of.

Making the dance here is expected.

Advancing in it is a challenge they still haven't cracked, and even if they made it to the Sweet 16 and on and on, it wouldn't have been satisfying.

an 88.

That's messed up, man.

That's messed up.

All right.

Only a national championship will do.

Guess I will have to wait till next year.

Stay tuned.