Louisville Cardinals Coach Rick Pitino thought his team's NCAA championship was "possible, not probable" and vowed to get a tattoo commemorating the win, he said in an interview that aired live today, April 9, 2013, on CBS THIS MORNING on the CBS Television Network (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM).
Pitino, who appeared with forward Luke Hancock, said that the Cardinals have "unbelievable chemistry" adding, "I've never seen such love from teammates and such courage from Kevin Ware to bring us all together."
Pitino also said that he plans to make good on his promise to get a tattoo if his team won the championship, telling co-hosts Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell, "I'm going to get it on my left shoulder, it'll be a cardinal and it'll say '2013 champions.'" Check out the interview in full below!
Excerpts from the transcript are below.
ROSE: This team has heart, this team is athletic, this team comes back almost every game. What is it about this team?
PITINO: Well, I think Coach K said it profoundly: "They have a boom quality." They just hang in there and all of the sudden they have the ability to turn around the game.
ROSE: Interesting. Luke, when Kevin Ware was hurt, everybody sort of pulled back in shock and you went forward to comfort him. What was your instinct?
HANCOCK: I don't really know, I don't really know what happened. I just kind of went out there and felt like I didn't want him to be alone. He was down obviously with a pretty bad leg injury, and I just wanted to be next to him and tell him it was going to be all right and that we were there for him.
O'DONNELL: Coach, what did you say to the team in the locker room? And as a follow-up, where are you getting this tattoo, and what is it going to be of?
PITINO: Well, I said it in mid-season, not believing that this was going to be a reality. But I am going to get it. I'm a man of my word. I'm going to get it on my left shoulder, it'll be a cardinal and it'll say "2013 champions."
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