Pitino updates on squad, work to be done

Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino updated his blog Tuesday morning, running through his entire lineup with instructions for each player. Check out what the coach had to say...

FULL LINK: Rick Pitino's new blog post

There are many skills we want to see improve with our players this summer.

Gorgui Dieng

- Strength and weight gain

-Turning over his right shoulder with low post moves

-3pt shooting- One make per game (have to keep the big fella happy).

Chane Behanan

- Balance on jumpshot. Release out and above head instead of behind his head.

-One on one moves. What we call straight line body to body moves, bullying defense to the basket.

-Defensive footwork

Russdiculous

-Introduce him to passing (lol)

-Improve balance on jumpshot

-Recognize high percentage shots vs. low percentage ones

-Improve his 3pt shooting

Peyton Siva

-Just continue what we started the last month of the season.

-He has made great strides with is technique on jumper.

- Passionate worker!

Luke Hancock

-Rehab until August.

-Move his jumpshot more on right side of head.

-It will take him all of September to regain form.

-Like Peyton, passionate worker!

Zach Price

-Free throw shooting improvement a must

-Arc on jumpshot

-Low post moves, turning over left shoulder

-Passing vs. pressure

-Conditioning is his biggest weakness

Angel Nunez

-Strength

-Defensive footwork

-Like Russdiculous, will introduce him to the art of passing

-Developing consistency with his jumpshot.

Tim Henderson

-Arc on jumper, major key to improvement on his shot.

-Buy him a hair brush so he can brush once a month

-Also passionate worker

Michael Baffour

-AKA (Dark Slime) Don't ask, Russ's nickname.

-Newest walk on from Lexington, will replace the Bullet.

-Have to determine what his best position will be.

Rock and Mike Marra

-Will continue rehab and quickness drills.

Stephan Van Treese

- Like Zach, arc on jumper

- Conditioning

- Turning over right shoulder in low post

Looking Back at Our Tournament Run

Our Big East Championship was special and a much needed boost to our self esteem. We put all of our eggs in this basket. It was great to see the players and fans enjoy the four games in four nights. We left the Garden with great confidence, ready to compete on all cylinders. The injuries were a thing of the past. I learned about some of our guys competing under the pressure of the NCAA each round.

Gorgui - It finally hit him, the magnitude of March Madness. I saw a little nervousness for the first time. His experience will help him immensely next season.

Chane - Tough kid, mentally and physically. Confident and backs it up.

Russ - My friend Lesley Visser said it best: He can play great for both teams. There's some truth to that, but we would be swimming in the Ohio River without him.

Swop - He felt zero pressure and was ready to step up.

Wayne - Reminds me a lot personally of Paul Pierce. Great competitor who will not back down.

Peyton was Peyton - reliable and just the best young guy I've seen in many a year.

Thank You's

Two fans of the year: Tom O'Grady, who married Allison (former UofL Ladybird) and has made him our super fan. He was with us every step of the way. Nicky Sotell has traveled from New York to make almost every game for the last 11 years. It would not feel like a big game without him.

Vinny "The Vest" Tatum had to work his tail off throughout each tournament to make it first class for our players. He has taken a much needed break. Last seen in Las Vegas visiting every casino's pool to create a Zagat rating on each place. He then jetted off to South Beach where he attended the NHL Devils vs. Panthers seventh game. Next was a week of Derby festivities hanging out with the rich and famous. Then he was off to South Beach to see the Knicks vs. Heat. Now if anyone is wondering who has the best job in America ... Yep, you have it: one Vincent "The Vest" Tatum.

Last but by no means least, Tom Jurich. Best Athletic Director in our nation hands down. Every sport's best friend. We all love the man.

Recruiting

We will be looking to bring on three to four players. Very confident it will be a special class.

The NCAA has made some great changes:

- Allowing coaches to workout players during summer school.

- Allowing us to evaluate prospects in April helps immensely, as we then know who to pursue in July.

- Texting - Allows us the much-needed contact to build our communication with recruits.

Schedule

Our schedule over the last season ended up as the second most difficult in the nation in the RPI.

Next season will be much the same. The early highlight will be the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. I hope you will be there with us November 22nd-24th . Teams that will join us there include the University of Missouri, Stanford University, University of Memphis, University of Northern Iowa, Duke University, University of Minnesota, and Virginia Commonwealth University.There are many skills we want to see improve with our players this summer.