For close to two decades, Rick Pitino was a villain to Kentucky basketball fans, a man whose life and career had an almost Shakespearean arc.

After leading the Wildcats from the depths of scandal to championship glory, and after an ill-fated three-year run with the Boston Celtics, Pitino stunned many nationally and angered hundreds of thousands across the commonwealth by returning to the college game to coach archrival Louisville.

Nearly 25 years after being hired at Louisville, Pitino appears eager to mend fences with Big Blue Nation — and offer them up some money, too.

REQUIRED READING: Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope will put ‘aggressive’ offense on display — and plenty of 3s

In an appearance Thursday on Kentucky Sports Radio — which was being hosted that day by the hosts of the popular podcast “Pardon My Take” — the legendary coach, now at St. John’s, said he has donated money to Kentucky football’s NIL initiatives and would happily do the same for Mark Pope and the Wildcats’ basketball program as his former player heads into his first season as Kentucky’s coach.

“Well, I actually cut a check to the football program because I’m a casual friend of Mark (Stoops) and Eddie Gran,” Pitino said. “I cut a check to the football program. I would definitely cut a check if Mark (Pope) needs me for anything no matter what it is — except for my first-born, Michael — he can have it.”

The connections to Kentucky extend beyond the basketball and football programs, as Pitino noted later in the interview that he sent a text message to Wildcats baseball coach Nick Mingione, who guided the program to its first-ever College World Series this year, wishing him good luck.

While his relationship with Stoops — whose Kentucky tenure overlapped with Pitino’s stint at Louisville for four years — wasn’t widely known, Pitino’s connections to Pope have been well-established.

He coached Pope from 1993-96, an accomplished run that included a national championship in 1996 with one of the most dominant, star-studded teams in college basketball history. Pitino gave his former center a full-throated endorsement when Pope was named as John Calipari’s successor in April, helping assuage what had been intense public angst over the hiring to that point. At that time, Pitino added that he would donate NIL funds to the program if they needed it.

“I absolutely love Mark (Pope) and would do anything for his program,” Pitino said Thursday. “I always called the University of Kentucky Camelot for me. Never had a bad year, never had a bad day. They treated me like a king.”

REQUIRED READING: Antonio Reeves rounds out Kentucky’s 2024 NBA Draft class; Justin Edwards signs with 76ers

Though Pitino, even during his time at Louisville, has long referred to Kentucky as “Camelot,” he has been much more vocal in recent months about his reverence for the program and his fond memories from his eight seasons in Lexington, from 1989-97.

In a March interview on “Pardon My Take,” Pitino expressed regret for leaving Kentucky in 1997 to become the Celtics’ head coach and president.

“Dick Vitale, every time I speak to him, ‘If you would have stayed at Kentucky, you’d have more wins than any coach,’” Pitino said. “And you think back on that.”

Pitino contrasted his treatment at Kentucky with Louisville, where he coached from 2001-17 and led the Cardinals to their third national championship, but where he was fired from in 2017 after the program was connected to the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball.

In 2023, Pitino was exonerated by the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Resolution Process, which didn’t directly link him to any of the violations that came with the Cardinals’ recruitment of former five-star prospect Brian Bowen. Still, Pitino said he would only possibly consider returning to Louisville for any kind of banner-raising or ceremony if the university reconciles with former athletic director Tom Jurich, who was also fired in October 2017 in the wake of the FBI probe.

“They treated me with great respect,” Pitino said Thursday of Kentucky. “Obviously, I didn’t get treated great when I was at Louisville, but sitting back on it and examining it today, I totally understand why. So I am very, very fond of the University of Kentucky.”

Unemployment rates rose in 109 counties between May 2023 and May 2024 and fell in six counties and remained the same in five counties, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS).

Cumberland and Washington counties recorded the lowest jobless rates in the Commonwealth at 3.4% each. They were followed by Woodford County, 3.5%; Anderson, Marion, Shelby and Spencer counties, 3.6% each; and Carroll, Fayette and Oldham counties, 3.7% each.

Martin County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate at 9.5%. It was followed by Magoffin County, 9.4%; Breathitt County, 8.4%; Leslie County, 7.8%; Carter County, 7.6%; Knott and Lewis counties, 7.5% each; and Clay, Elliott and Johnson counties, 7.3% each.

Kentucky’s county unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted because of small sample sizes. Employment statistics undergo sharp fluctuations due to seasonal events such as weather changes, harvests, holidays, and school openings and closings. Seasonal adjustments eliminate these influences and make it easier to observe statistical trends. The comparable, unadjusted unemployment rate for the state was 4.5% for May, and 3.7% for the nation.

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted May 2024 unemployment rate was released on June 20, and can be viewed at www.kentucky.gov.

In that release, Kentucky’s statewide unemployment rate and employment levels are adjusted to observe statistical trends by removing seasonal influences such as weather changes, harvests, holidays, and school openings and closings. For more information regarding seasonal fluctuations, visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

Unemployment statistics are based on estimates and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working. Civilian labor force statistics include non-military workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks. The data should only be compared to the same month in previous years.

Learn more about Kentucky labor market information at kystats.ky.gov.

Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet

Big Blue Nation received some surprising, welcome news on Thursday afternoon when Cedric “CJ” Works announced his commitment to Kentucky.

A four-star talent, Works became the highest-ranked player in Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class, vaulting the Wildcats up to No. 24 nationally in the On3 Team Industry Rankings. Ranked as the No. 143 player overall, he is the third Top 200 player in the class, joining DB Martels Carter and RB Marquise Davis.

Vince Marrow’s work is far from finished. Another Top 200 player may join the fold with a few other impressive prospects.

Thank you to today’s sponsor, our friend Andy Luedecke at MyPerfectFranchise. Andy is a huge college sports fan and franchise veteran, having owned multiple franchises and businesses. Using his expertise, he helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough consultation and evaluation process.

If you are wanting to find a way out of corporate America, wanting a side-hustle business, or a way to diversify…..reach out to Andy, as he’s got a ton of knowledge in this world and best of all, his services are 100% free to you – always! After you finish this post, you can learn more or reach Andy at [email protected].

Tight End Off the Board

Before we get to the good news, there’s some bad news we must share. For the second straight year, Ohio State stepped in to snag a tight end from Cleveland that was on the verge of pulling the trigger and committing to Kentucky. A year ago it was Damarion Witten. This summer the Cats are missing out on Brody Lennon.

Lennon is an exceptional athlete for his size. If he camped at Ohio State, he was probably going to get an offer. Lennon did not make the trip to Columbus for a few weeks. He changed his mind just a few days away from his official visit to Kentucky. Lennon earned the offer, officially visited a week later, then pulled the trigger and committed to today. Ya can’t win ’em all, especially against Ohio State for kids from Ohio.

Kentucky Trending for Multiple Players

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) nailed the Works commitment, despite significant interest from Penn State and Florida. The RPM Machine believes the Cats are staying hot.

Despite multiple picks from 247 Alabama insiders, Kentucky leads the way for Frankfort DL Javeon Campbell, the No. 167 player in America. An impressive Ohio athlete who visited last week, Top 200 CB Dawayne Galloway, is trending toward Kentucky according to On3’s RPM.

Kentucky has one offensive tackle in the fold, but two more bricks may soon be added to the Big Blue Wall. The Wildcats are the favorite to land Jermiel Atkins, who announces his commitment on July 4. On Thursday On3’s Steve Wiltfong submitted an RPM pick for Kentucky to land Florida offensive tackle Bryan Auguste, who officially visited earlier this month.

Although the RPM machine isn’t buying all the way in, Adam Luckett shared on 11 Personnel that he believes Kalen Edwards is another one to closely keep an eye on. The Tennessee athlete is a true nose tackle prospect who is an ideal fit in Kentucky’s 3-4 defense.

Learn more about Andy Luedecke and franchise ownership through these resources:
Andy’s Story
Why a Franchise
Service Based vs Brick and Mortar
Semi Absentee Ownership
The Process and How It works

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