Luke Hancock commented, “The University of Louisville has done nothing but support student athletes the right way and I wanna be in their corner because the University and Rick Pitino in particular have been there for me”.
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Ralph Willard, an assistant coach for the University of Louisville basketball team, is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence because of a cardiac issue. WDRB and the Courier-Journal reported the problem is related to Willard’s heart. He was head coach for four seasons at Western Kentucky (1990-94), five years at Pittsburgh (1994-99) and 10 at Holy Cross (1999-2009).
Willard’s son, Kevin, was an assistant coach at UofL from 2001 to 2007 before taking the head coaching job at Seton Hall, It was Kevin, remember, who stood in for him when Pitino had that mysterious illness in 2004, went off to the Cleveland Clinic, and returned after missing a couple of games.
Willard joined the Louisville staff in April, his second stretch with the program and the fourth time he has been an assistant under Pitino. He guided the UofL team for its games in Puerto Rico in August while Pitino was coaching the Puerto Rico national team.
“When the allegations first came out I said I wasn’t gonna come out and speak about it, but when people who don’t know anything about the situation start posting articles about the University and Rick Pitino I felt the need to come out and voice my opinion because it’s hurtful and nothing in that Sports Illustrated article was true”, said Marra.
Anything negative that happens to UofL basketball is going to be painstakingly second-guessed until this NCAA ordeal is over several months from now. We are seeking the best doctors available to assess his situation.
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Louisville promoted former player David Padgett, its director of basketball operations, to fill Willard’s role on the coaching staff. “I expect it to be a smooth transition”.
