LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's been 20 years ago since Rick Pitino took Louisville back to a Final Four, after a 19-year absence. It was when Pitino, in his fourth season on the job, sprinkled some of that magic dust he had displayed at stops in Providence and Lexington onto the program in Louisville.
That Cardinals team did not have the look of a Final Four team. At least, not to me. They were good. But they'd lost to Kentucky in the Patrick Sparks game. They were injury prone. They didn't have depth. Pitino scrapped his full-court pressure in favor of zone defense, just to preserve his team.
Five players averaged better than 29 minutes per game on the season, and four of them averaged more than 30. But they were tough. Ellis Myles set a tone for that team. Francisco Garcia and Taqua Pinero (then known as Taquan Dean) were next-level tough guys who had been through some things in life. Juan Palacios was a talented freshman. Larry O'Bannon blossomed into a tough, reliable, consistent contributor. Otis George was too, though an injury slowed him late in the year.
Those guys could all shoot. That team had three of the top three-point shooters in school history. When they needed a fill-in at point, Brad Gianiny came in. When they needed him, Perrin Johnson stepped in and helped get them to the Elite Eight. And, you know, Pitino could coach a little bit.
On Saturday, a bunch of those guys got back together, and were introduced to the crowd at the KFC Yum! Center during Louisville's win over Miami. O'Bannon spoke to the crowd, but it was comments from Pitino, sent via video, that drew some roars.
Pitino recounted some memories. Being 18 down and resorting to going back to man-to-man at halftime of the regional final against West Virginia in Albuquerque. Arranging the chairs in the locker room to walk-through defensive pressures against WVU's Princeton offense.
"I wouldn't even attempt to do something like that, if it wasn't for the high basketball acumen of this team, if not for the heart of this team. Their desire to go to the Final Four was amazing to witness. They did it even without Francisco, who had fouled out. And now you're all gathered. And boy do I wish I could be there. Unfortunately, I'm still coaching. Why? I have no idea. But we're going to celebrate that great team, and I'm with you in spirit."
My most vivid memories about that team? I remember Myles walking into the tunnel after Louisville had blown out Georgia Tech in Nashville, shouting, "We're fixing to be up in this (bleep) for a while."
They were.
CLICK VIDEO TO PLAY
I remember Garcia saying, "It's crazy how humble we are," then going on to talk about how much pride the team took in its humility.
I also remembering after almost every game, talking to Garcia about whichever of his teammates had come through to have a big game that night, and him saying, "I talked to him before the game and told him he was going to have a good one."
It was late in the year before Pinero told me, "Man, 'Cisco talks to everybody before every game.'"
I remember the chants of "Larry!" when O'Bannon began to assert himself offensively.
I remember Darius Washington missing those free throws in the C-USA Championship game in Memphis. I sat right across from John Calipari on the Memphis bench as it was happening.
I remember Tim Sypher and a few managers or players sneaking down to the hotel kitchen the night before NCAA Tournament games and convincing the hotel staff to let them put the media guide of the next day's opponent into the freezer.
"It freezes them," Sypher told me.
I remember the 17-point home-court loss to Memphis on Feb. 9, and thinking, "Well, this is a very good team, but probably not a great one."
They didn't lose again until they got to the Final Four.
That Louisville team didn't do all that with a bunch of NBA talent. Garcia was a first-round draft pick, but he was the only one on that team.
"You always talk about a national championship. That's the ultimate goal of every team," O'Bannon said. "But when we talked about realistically, we were kind of in that Sweet 16 range. Anything less than that would be a disappointment for us. But then when we got there, we were expected to be a No. 2 seed. We knew a No. 1 seed was a long shot. But when we saw Washington go up there (as the No. 1 seed), it threw a little fire into us. Then to be able to get into that matchup and play them in a 1-4, I don't think they really knew the motivation for us. Winning a championship was our goal, but to be honest, we saw the Elite Eight as a good measuring stick for us. So going to the Final Four was icing on the cake."
It's a good lesson. Never sell yourself short.
Brandon Jenkins (left), Brian Johnson and Ellis Myles with Louisville's 2005 Final Four trophy on the day the team was honored for reaching the Final Four 20 years ago.
There have been a lot of comparisons made between that team and this Louisville team. And I don't think this Louisville team has ever looked more like that Louisville team than it did in that game against Miami, playing with seven guys, missing its starting point guard and starting center.
This team hasn't shot the ball like that one. But given its makeup, there's nothing to say it couldn't get hot and come pretty close. This team is seasoned like that one, and has a high basketball IQ like that one. Frankly, even in its depleted state, this team may have more talent and depth than that one.
Pitino's thoughts turned to the current Louisville coach, Pat Kelsey, and his team, in his statement on Saturday.
"To Coach Kelsey, very few have been fortunate enough to coach the University of Louisville, and you're one of the few," Pitino said. "I think you're doing an awesome job. We are all so proud of you. Thank you for everything."
And to fans, Pitino said, "I never got a chance to say goodbye to you, and I won't. Because great friends that you love, you never say goodbye to, you only say hello. I was blessed to have you for 17 years, and love you so much. Have a great season."
There have been years, like 2005 and 2012, when Louisville trips to the Final Four took me by surprise. There have been years, like 2009 and 2014, when not going to the Final Four was a surprise. And there was one year, 2013, when Louisville expected to go, did go and won the thing.
But I'll remember 2005 as the year that I learned a valuable lesson: Don't put too much stock into your own expectations or lack of them. Let the team write its story. If it has promise, cover it like it's going to be a Final Four team. Because it just might be.
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
