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Bulls to tread on hallowed ground

Coach praises Freedom Hall's mystique, fans.

By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 1, 2002

There are many places to begin when examining the legacy of Louisville's Freedom Hall, but the result is always the same: confirmation of a locale as hallowed as any in college basketball.

"You can't talk about great college basketball venues," South Florida coach Seth Greenberg said, "and not talk about Freedom Hall."

The roll call ...

It has hosted six Final Fours.

It averaged more than 18,000 in home attendance for 16 straight seasons.

It has been home to national championship teams in 1980 and '86, seven Final Four teams and All-Americans such as Wes Unseld, Junior Bridgeman, Darrell Griffith and Pervis Ellison.

That's a hearty resume.

Greenberg, whose Bulls (14-6) play at Louisville (12-7) in a Conference USA game at 7 tonight, has brought USF to Freedom Hall three times. He has soaked up the history and eked out a win, 62-60 in 1998.

"It's just one of those places. There's something about it," Greenberg said. "It's a great venue. You look up in those rafters and see all the banners.

"It's all those old-time Kentucky/Louisville basketball fans; they love it. And they appreciate it, they appreciate basketball. ... The one time we went up there and won (coming from 11 points down at halftime), the snowstorm year, we went out to eat after that game and we had more Louisville fans come up to us and say, "Boy, you guys played well, congratulations.' They're good fans. They understand the game."

Louisville's Hall of Fame coach, Denny Crum, retired after 30 years last season. The Cardinals had slipped from the ranks of the elite in recent years.

Exhibit A: Louisville lost 10 games at Freedom Hall last season, most ever and the second losing season there in 45 years.

Exhibit B: Average attendance at Freedom Hall dropped below 18,000 for the first time since 1983-84.

Enter Rick Pitino, who had resurrected despised rival Kentucky while Crum's Cardinals were diminishing. From 1990-91, his second season at Kentucky, to 1996-97, his final season, Pitino's Wildcats never lost more than seven games in a season.

The anticipated instant resuscitation of the Louisville program has had several hiccups, however. Pitino's top recruit, freshman guard Carlos Hurt, had surgery for a bulging disc in mid January and is out for the season. Another highly regarded freshman, center Brandon Bender, a Louisville native, left the team last week, reportedly unsatisfied with his playing time, and announced plans to transfer.

Pitino, who coached the Boston Celtics after leaving Kentucky, hasn't been well himself. He was examined at a Louisville hospital for undisclosed reasons last week after a loss at Charlotte. He later said a back problem was part of the reason he checked in, but it didn't keep him out for long.

Pitino was back on the bench without missing a game for a 30-point demolition Saturday of free-falling DePaul, and Louisville put up a spirited fight Wednesday at Memphis before falling 80-70.

Though Greenberg and Pitino haven't matched up as head coaches (Greenberg was an assistant at Miami when Pitino coached Providence in the mid 1980s), the two go back. Brad Greenberg, Seth's older brother and USF's director of basketball operations, is 11/2 years younger than the 49-year-old Pitino, and they frequently played with and against each other as kids.

"We grew up towns over (on Long Island, N.Y.). We go back a long way," Seth Greenberg said. "Brad played with Rick for years. They've known each other forever.

"It's good to have (Pitino) back in college basketball."

USF will be hoping to continue Louisville's recent slide, as the Cardinals are in a 2-5 slump. The Bulls, who faltered to a 4-7 finish after Feb. 1 last season, are hoping to kick-start the stretch run with a quality road win at one of the most prestigious arenas in the nation.

"When two good teams play, one good team is going to lose. That's what conference play is all about," Greenberg said. "You just hope it isn't you."

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