Hey, Rick Pitino: White Linen Suits Are Out of Style

According to Emily Post, Labor Day is the cutoff date for when white can be worn in public. Apparently, Rick Pitino and the rest of Cardinals Nation missed the memo.

The “whiteout” theme at Freedom Hall for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team against the Georgetown Hoyas led to the emergence of an unforgettable white linen suit. As Head Coach Pitino walked out of the tunnel for the game against the Hoyas, the only dash of color that the sold-out arena could see was a red-and-white-striped tie that adorned Pitino’s chest. The question is, where did Pitino find such a fashion faux pas?

The answer: Miami. In an interview with Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser on Pardon the Interruption on ESPN, Pitino talked about his decision to purchase the white linen suit and the wardrobe change at halftime.

“Well, I got that suit sent to me overnight from Miami and got it together. Got it altered in one day. I showed up at the game for the whiteout promotion and had everything ready to go—except I didn’t have white boxers. I had blue boxers. I did not have my Hanes Michael Jordan underwear. The blue was starting to show at halftime. I took my jacket off and said, 'I have a major problem.'”

Originally, rumors about why Pitino changed during halftime were that the linen suit was too hot. In an article titled Rick Pitino Sports the All-White Suit, writer Larry Brown states that Pitino’s original excuse for the wardrobe change was lame.

“The real reason was because it was very hot in there, and I was sweating like crazy. Not having worn a white linen suit since my first communion, no one told me when you’re sweating you can’t wear blue ‘filters’ (underwear). I was about to look ridiculous.”

However, the excuse given to ESPN anchor Erin Andrews during Pitino’s postgame interview was that “Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi was spilled on the suit.”

Regardless of the stories surrounding the purchase and decision to wear the suit, the question remains: When will it re-emerge?

In Andrews’ postgame conference with Pitino, she asked when the suit would be seen again. His answer: We’d see the suit again for the Kentucky Derby. Other than that, the suit will never be seen again.

For Cardinal Nation, Pitino's statement to let the suit “rest in peace” could be the best thing for the team. At the half, the Cardinals were shooting 50 percent from the field and were trailing the Hoyas 31-23. According to critics, the Cardinals' subpar performance in the first half was a side effect of the suit that was constricting Pitino’s brainpower.In fact, the team’s big players, Edgar Sosa and David Padgett, seemed just as distracted as the rest of the arena.

But the second half began with a step in the right direction, offensively and defensively.

The Cardinals came out of the locker room with a vengeance and a coach back in the black and red. The team owned the Hoyas on the offensive glass. Defensively, the Hoyas could not move without a Cardinals player in their faces. One possession at a time, the Cardinals decreased the deficit and began to take over control of the game.

On the offensive end, Padgett stepped into the spotlight and exposed the Hoyas' defense. In fact, half of Padgett’s points, all his rebounds and 75 percent of his assists came after intermission. It seems that Padgett had regained his confidence and conditioning to battle in the Big East. Padgett had a game-high 18 points, four rebounds and four assists in the victory. According to Pitino, Padgett was just what the team needed to overcome its first-half woes.

"Padgett was great, just great," Pitino said. "He wasn't really in shape until recently. Now his knees aren't bothering him, and he's healthy. He's a smart and terrific basketball player. I just love coaching him. It's one of the more enjoyable experiences in my coaching career, coaching him."

A win over the No. 6 Hoyas with a score of 59-51 at Freedom Hall Saturday night was exactly what the team needed. But, the most important lesson of the night: Linen is out of style, regardless of what color it is. In Pitino’s case, his white suit’s 20 minutes of fame fell short because of a pair of an infamous blue pair of boxers.