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Rick Pitino breaks out the FAQ on his blog

Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino directs his team during the first half of the men's NCAA Final Four semi-final college basketball game against the Kentucky Jayhawks in New Orleans

Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino directs his team during the first half of the men’s NCAA Final Four semi-final college basketball game against the Kentucky Jayhawks in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 31, 2012. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

REUTERS

Most coaches hate bloggers. The really visionary ones realize the power of the medium and become bloggers. Rick Pitino is one of those guys. He doesn’t blog often, but when he does, he gives some quality updates.

This week, Pitino shared the five questions he is most often asked, and provided his standard answers, as well. Odds are, he’s hoping this will stop people from asking the same old questions over and over again. Odds are, it won’t work. But we can enjoy the honesty anyway.

The top question is one he probably gets from fans and journalists alike. The old strengths and weaknesses question. For strengths, Pitino wisely points toward defensive intensity. His answer for weakness is more revealing.

“Passing - I’m hoping Luke Hancock will help in this area. Some people think it’s shooting and the injury to Mike will even hurt more. Not really. Mike would have helped more in the passing department. We have good scorers who will make the outside shot. The three point shot is average, but not poor by any stretch.”

Pitino also points out that all five players on the floor are expected to handle the ball in his offense.

He answers a couple of obvious questions as well (Can we make the Final Four? Yes. What do you love about Louisville? A bunch of stuff), sandwiched between a couple of more interesting replies.

2) Who works the hardest with the best attitude?

Three way tie:

Peyton Siva

Gorgui Dieng

Russ Smith

Great work ethic! Russ will at times fake an injury when he is tired. I would go over to him and whisper “I’ve seen that trick before.” His response is always “Come on coach, that’s between you and me.”

5) Who is the best college or pro player you have coached?

a) College: Jamal Mashburn

b) Pro: Three-way tie between Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, Paul Pierce


Of course, the relationship between Pitino and Russdiculous will be one of the highlights of the upcoming season, and this blog post provides a nice inside look at a rather enjoyable dynamic. Pitino may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but his willingness to engage with fans and answer questions is a nice touch.

Eric Angevine is the editor of Storming the Floor. He tweets @stfhoops.