Coach Rick Pitino Louisville will not coach the national team of Puerto Rico disputes between the two responsibilities, planning the University announced Wednesday.
Since last year, Pitino announced he coached Puerto Rico through FIBA tournament this year, the of the Americas, to the national team qualifying for the London 2012 Games.
Pitino had hoped that his Louisville team to visit Puerto Rico, while he was coach of the national team, NCAA regulations for college teams, a trip abroad. But Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of United States, is not considered as a foreign site by the NCAA, which denied the appeal of Louisville in the matter.
It was not the only complication for Pitino. Puerto Rico was to play in another tournament in the Brazil which took Pitino away from campus in the fall semester, at a time that he could not afford to be absent.
"I was so looking forward to the Puerto Rico national team coaches, but too many conflicts arose," Pitino said. "This is a great disappointment that we cannot meet the challenge to help them qualify for the Olympic Games."
Pitino had planned to Puerto Rico coach in the tournament of the Americas, scheduled to begin in late August in Mar del Plata, Argentina. A top-two finish in this tournament would ensure an invitation for the London Games in 2012, while a finish among the five would win a place at FIBA World Olympic qualifying 2012.
Puerto Rico, who removed an of basketball Olympic great upheavals by beating United States in Athens, in 2004 do not qualified for the Beijing 2008 games.
No comments:
Post a Comment