[Stardust]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Coach Rick Pitino has decided that the University of Louisville basketball team will not be participating in the 2012 Maui Invitational.

Kevin Miller, the university's executive senior associate athletic director, told The Courier-Journal that Pitino decided to pull the Cardinals out of the event after looking at the schedule.

Miller referred more specific questions to Pitino, who could not be reached by the newspaper on Friday.

The Cardinals last played in Maui in 2004.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/m...onal_n.htm

[Ballers]

WTH? Why?

[ballcrazy]

They will be playing in a tourny were they will make 2 mill for playing . I think i would pull out also.

[Amun-Ra]

They will be playing in a tourny were they will make 2 mill for playing . I think i would pull out also.

What tourney?

[Ballers]

What tourney?

You"ll never hear from the guy again Amun-Ra lol.

[HawksRule]

Maybe his 15 second lady is taking vacation in Hawaii that week

[Scotty doesn't know]

Rick Pitino pulls out of the Maui Invitational.... and then goes down his leg!!!
I'm sorry, I usually do not do off color jokes but this was the perfect set up.

[ballcrazy]

The tournament is in 2012 in the Bahamas
it's called the Atlantis invitational.uconn is playing in it this year. Each team will get 2mill for playing.

[Wildcatk23]

^ Link?

[Jarons]

According to the Courier-Journal, UofL is still looking at other alternatives for next year. It never mentions anything about at tournament in the Bahamas.

[zaga_fan]

http://www.cardchronicle.com/2011/7/20/2...vitational

Battle 4 Atlantis
2 million per school
it's legit

[Stardust]

http://www.cardchronicle.com/2011/7/20/2...vitational

Battle 4 Atlantis
2 million per school
it's legit

It appears Cardinal fans who had been planning on a November, 2012 getaway to the island of Maui are out of luck.

Louisville has pulled out of the 2012 Maui Invitational Tournament and has already been replaced by Marquette. U of L was also scheduled to participate in the event in 2009, but instead worked out a deal to push their participation back three years.

Reportedly, Louisville pulled out the event so it could play in the 2012 Atlantis in the Bahamas Tournament. The tournament will be making its debut this season, and made headlines last spring when it announced that it will be paying participating schools $2 million annually, making it the richest preseason tournament in college basketball. Defending national champion Connecticut will be playing in the tournament this fall.

While pulling out of the sport's most prestigious preseason tournament may seem like an odd move, Rick Pitino's motives become pretty apparent with the added news that the team will instead be heading to the Bahamas.

For starters, $2 million is a lot of keesh. The 2012 Maui field isn't exactly stacked, and my guess is the Atlantis tournament organizers will be able to attract a comparable group of programs over the next few months. Second, it's a better location. The Bahamas is an easier trip to make for interested fans, it's much closer to the Louisville time zone, it's an area the team will already have some familiarity with, and my guess is the facilities will be a step above the high school gym they still use in Maui. And then finally, the Bahamas has suddenly become a hot bed for basketball talent. Five blue-chip recruits in the class of 2012 - Wanaah Bail, Buddy Hield, Shaq Cleare, Michael Carey and Chicken Knowles - are all originally from the Bahamas.

Maui will still probably be the king of preseason tournaments in 16 months, but that doesn't mean this is a bad move.

[theVILLE]

I know the team usually host a tourney at freedom hall or the YUM center to raise money for some kind of organization. Im not really sure and dont have time to do the research right now to find out the exact cause of it but i think it was for a kid who has cancer or something. Anyone else know what im tlaking about?

[RavenBoy]

Figures

[Spud6]

Maybe his 15 second lady is taking vacation in Hawaii that week

Ouch!!

nicker:

[BCF4L]

This is the first time Rick Pitino has pulled out of anything.....

[PaintsvilleTigerfan]

Ole Ricky P.

[Wesley Coach O]

Does Louisville have a team this year