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Fox Sports
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Richard Pitino and Phil Martelli Jr. bring a deep appreciation of their famous dads to March Madness
Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Richard Pitino looked to his right and didn't hesitate to put his son Jack on the spot. The New Mexico coach wondered aloud ahead of the 10th-seeded Lobos' first-round meeting with seventh-seeded Marquette on Friday who Jack might have picked to win it all in his bracket. 'St. John's,' came the reply. The same St. John's, by the way, that happens to be coached by Jack's grandfather, Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. 'There you go,' Richard Pitino said with a smile on Thursday. 'You see where his loyalty lies.' Such is both the blessing and the curse of having a last name that's been synonymous with March Madness success for decades. Sometimes, no matter what you do — like, say, lead your team to consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, as Pitino has done this season at New Mexico — you're not even your own family's favorite coach. Good thing Pitino grew comfortable in this position long ago. Then again, he knows he didn't have much of a choice, given his profession. Neither did Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr., who played for his father Phil Sr. at Saint Joseph's in the early 2000s when the Hawks briefly became fixtures in the brackets behind guards Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Even as Pitino and Martelli have established their own careers, they're both aware the shadow of their fathers is never too far away. It could seem like a burden. They insist that it's not. Martelli, who led the Smithfield, Rhode Island, school to just its second tournament berth after capturing the American East championship last week, has lost track of the number of times a day he'll hear his father's words come out of his own mouth. Maybe it's three. Maybe it's five. It's probably more. There's a long list of people the 43-year-old Martelli believes molded him. His father is at the top, though he points out that Phil Sr.'s impact on his life extends beyond any drill and any play that can be drawn up in the huddle. '(He's mentored) more the man than the coach, to be honest with you,' said Martelli, whose 15th-seeded team will play second-seeded Michigan State on Friday. 'With him, it's always about people. Yeah, we're coaching basketball, but when you're (doing) anything in life ... it boils down to people.' Yet both Martelli and Pitino made it a point to try and carve their own respective paths. Pitino briefly joined his father's staff at Louisville in the late 2000s until an opening popped up at Florida when then-Gators assistant Shaka Smart took the head coaching job at VCU. Then-Florida coach Billy Donovan and the younger Pitino had known each other since Pitino was in elementary school and Donovan was hoisting 3-pointers for the older Pitino at Providence in the mid-1980s. Yet Richard Pitino called leaving his father's side the best decision he's ever made because it forced him out of his comfort zone. 'It got me to think differently and not try to be my dad,' said Richard Pitino, whose voice sounds almost like a copy of his father's, minus the New York accent. 'He's a great coach to emulate, don't get me wrong, but it really taught me to be my own man.' There are differences, to be sure. His father is relentlessly intense — even at age 72 — and has never been shy about expressing himself to his players as loudly and bluntly as possible. Richard Pitino is not quite that. 'He tries to stay away (from his) dad a lot more on the yelling side, the crazy side,' Lobos guard Donovan Dent said. 'Coach P is more relaxed. He'll get on you, but he's like not his dad that much on the coaching side.' That doesn't mean Pitino is chill, exactly. New Mexico senior forward Nelly Junior Joseph spent three years playing for Rick Pitino at Iona before transferring to the Lobos after Rick left for St. John's. During a recent practice, Junior Joseph came up to Richard and jokingly told him, 'I'm not going to yet yelled at by another Pitino again. It's been five years of you two. I'm sick of you guys.' Junior Joseph was kidding. Pitino and Martelli were not when talking about how watching their fathers thrive in March drew them into their own life's work. A few decades ago, Richard Pitino and Phil Martelli Jr. were where Jack Pitino and Philip Martelli were on Thursday, sitting quietly to the side watching their fathers go to work during the most intense month in college basketball. Maybe Philip Martelli will follow in his father and grandfather's footsteps. Maybe he won't. That's for him to decide. All Phil Martelli Jr. wants is for his oldest son to enjoy the ride, a lesson he didn't truly appreciate until he found out firsthand how hard it was to bring a team — and a family — to this moment. 'It's a special thing,' Phil Martelli Jr. said. 'It's special to be in the tournament.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Richard Pitino and Phil Martelli Jr. bring a deep appreciation of their famous dads to March Madness
CLEVELAND (AP) — Richard Pitino looked to his right and didn't hesitate to put his son Jack on the spot. The New Mexico coach wondered aloud ahead of the 10th-seeded Lobos' first-round meeting with seventh-seeded Marquette on Friday who Jack might have picked to win it all in his bracket. 'St. John's,' came the reply. The same St. John's, by the way, that happens to be coached by Jack's grandfather, Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. 'There you go,' Richard Pitino said with a smile on Thursday. 'You see where his loyalty lies.' Such is both the blessing and the curse of having a last name that's been synonymous with March Madness success for decades. Sometimes, no matter what you do — like, say, lead your team to consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, as Pitino has done this season at New Mexico — you're not even your own family's favorite coach. Good thing Pitino grew comfortable in this position long ago. Then again, he knows he didn't have much of a choice, given his profession. Neither did Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr., who played for his father Phil Sr. at Saint Joseph's in the early 2000s when the Hawks briefly became fixtures in the brackets behind guards Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Even as Pitino and Martelli have established their own careers, they're both aware the shadow of their fathers is never too far away. It could seem like a burden. They insist that it's not. Martelli, who led the Smithfield, Rhode Island, school to just its second tournament berth after capturing the American East championship last week, has lost track of the number of times a day he'll hear his father's words come out of his own mouth. Maybe it's three. Maybe it's five. It's probably more. There's a long list of people the 43-year-old Martelli believes molded him. His father is at the top, though he points out that Phil Sr.'s impact on his life extends beyond any drill and any play that can be drawn up in the huddle. '(He's mentored) more the man than the coach, to be honest with you,' said Martelli, whose 15th-seeded team will play second-seeded Michigan State on Friday. 'With him, it's always about people. Yeah, we're coaching basketball, but when you're (doing) anything in life ... it boils down to people.' Yet both Martelli and Pitino made it a point to try and carve their own respective paths. Pitino briefly joined his father's staff at Louisville in the late 2000s until an opening popped up at Florida when then-Gators assistant Shaka Smart took the head coaching job at VCU. Then-Florida coach Billy Donovan and the younger Pitino had known each other since Pitino was in elementary school and Donovan was hoisting 3-pointers for the older Pitino at Providence in the mid-1980s. Yet Richard Pitino called leaving his father's side the best decision he's ever made because it forced him out of his comfort zone. 'It got me to think differently and not try to be my dad,' said Richard Pitino, whose voice sounds almost like a copy of his father's, minus the New York accent. 'He's a great coach to emulate, don't get me wrong, but it really taught me to be my own man.' There are differences, to be sure. His father is relentlessly intense — even at age 72 — and has never been shy about expressing himself to his players as loudly and bluntly as possible. Richard Pitino is not quite that. 'He tries to stay away (from his) dad a lot more on the yelling side, the crazy side,' Lobos guard Donovan Dent said. 'Coach P is more relaxed. He'll get on you, but he's like not his dad that much on the coaching side.' That doesn't mean Pitino is chill, exactly. New Mexico senior forward Nelly Junior Joseph spent three years playing for Rick Pitino at Iona before transferring to the Lobos after Rick left for St. John's. During a recent practice, Junior Joseph came up to Richard and jokingly told him, 'I'm not going to yet yelled at by another Pitino again. It's been five years of you two. I'm sick of you guys.' Junior Joseph was kidding. Pitino and Martelli were not when talking about how watching their fathers thrive in March drew them into their own life's work. A few decades ago, Richard Pitino and Phil Martelli Jr. were where Jack Pitino and Philip Martelli were on Thursday, sitting quietly to the side watching their fathers go to work during the most intense month in college basketball. Maybe Philip Martelli will follow in his father and grandfather's footsteps. Maybe he won't. That's for him to decide. All Phil Martelli Jr. wants is for his oldest son to enjoy the ride, a lesson he didn't truly appreciate until he found out firsthand how hard it was to bring a team — and a family — to this moment. 'It's a special thing,' Phil Martelli Jr. said. 'It's special to be in the tournament.'
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Former FEMA director wants to be dropped from Florida civil rights lawsuit
TALLAHASSEE — The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will ask a U.S. district judge to clear her in a lawsuit alleging the agency violated civil rights of Florida supporters of President Donald Trump in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. Deanne Criswell, who led FEMA during the Biden administration, will argue that she is shielded from the lawsuit by what is known as "qualified immunity," according to a court document filed Friday. Quoting two U.S. Supreme Court precedents, the document said qualified immunity "protects government officials 'from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights.'" Then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed the lawsuit in November after reports that a FEMA supervisor directed aid workers to avoid going to homes in Lake Placid that had yard signs supporting Trump. The lawsuit named as defendants Criswell and former FEMA supervisor Marn'i Washington. Gov. Ron DeSantis last month appointed Moody to the U.S. Senate to succeed Marco Rubio, who became Trump's secretary of state. FEMA accused of violating Trump supporters' rights The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Fort Pierce, alleged that a conspiracy existed that violated the rights of Trump supporters. It sought damages and a declaration that the defendants "conspired to interfere with the civil rights of Trump supporters in Florida" in violation of a federal law. "While the facts will continue to come out over the weeks and months, it is already clear that defendant Washington conspired with senior FEMA officials, as well as those carrying out her orders, to violate the civil rights of Florida citizens," the lawsuit said. The document filed Friday by attorneys for Criswell involved scheduling issues in the case. As part of that, it said Criswell will file a motion for dismissal of the case, "asserting the defense of qualified immunity, among other defenses." The document only dealt with Criswell and not Washington, the other defendant. While Criswell has not filed a response in court to the allegations, she issued a statement in November that said agency employees "adhere to FEMA's core values and are dedicated to helping people before, during and after disasters, often sacrificing time with their own families to help disaster survivors." "Recently, one FEMA employee departed from these values to advise her survivor assistance team to not go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump," the statement said. "This is a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible. I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct." The allegations drew attention from congressional Republicans and the national news media. Helene hit Florida in September before moving into other states, including Georgia and North Carolina. Milton made landfall in Sarasota County in October before crossing Florida.
