Earlier this season we watched Rick Pitino and his son Richard Pitino compete against each other for the very first time ever on the hard wood. That day coach Pitino would get the decisive victory over his son but it was very apparent that the younger Pitino had many of his fathers coaching traits and had the FIU team heading in the right direction. That was a very special day for the Pitino family and a real treat for the fans to share in that moment. On Sunday, Richard Pitino would pull off a big win against No. 1 seeded Middle Tennessee State in the Sun Belt semi-finals and would get his team to the finals on Monday night against WKU. And even though this is the busiest time of the year for the elder Pitino as he is preparing our Cards for a run of their own in the post season there was no way he was going to miss out on being there in person to cheer for his son.

Tonight when the camera would pan in the crowd to acknowledge Rick Pitino’s presence at the game you could see the pride in his eyes as he watched his son carry on his coaching legacy. Here is his son who grew up watching game tapes on his father’s knee, standing on the sidelines while his father ran practices, listening to the late-night strategy sessions and coaching beside his father for years as an assistant now starring in his own moment. Rick Pitino has become a larger than life persona in his coaching career and here in a few weeks he will become a hall of fame coach. However, tonight he was not coach Rick Pitino. Tonight he was just a proud father watching and wanting the best for his son.

Just three years ago, Gorgui arrived as a beanpole with minimal skills and no grasp of the English language. Last year, his shot-blocking and rebounding helped Louisville to the Final Four, and this season he has once again been a great presence in the lane for the Cards. He has helped lead them to a share of the Big East title and is a big reason why the Cards are considered by many the best defensive team in the country. Today he was named the Big East Player of the Year and will now lead the Cards into the post season. Here’s what they said over at Big East .org: “Dieng, a 6-11 center from Kebemer, Senegal, was the force in the paint who helped Louisville tie for the BIG EAST regular-season title. Dieng, a 6-11 junior, averaged 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots in all games. In BIG EAST play, he was the league rebounding champion with a 10.8 average and was second in blocked shots with an average of 2.8.”

Russ Smith was named a third team All-American by The Sporting News today. Smith is one of two players from the Big East selected for the teams, as Georgetown’s Otto Porter was named to the first team. Here’s what the Sporting News said: “The energetic one averaged 17.9 points per game for the Cardinals while remaining one of the peskiest defenders in the country (2.1 steals per game). The 6-foot sophomore guard, who sits atop the kenpom.com player of the year standings, cut back on the amount of plays that made Louisville fans want to pull their hair out—he didn’t eliminate them, mind you—and has been a consistent producer for one of the country’s elite teams.”

Smith led the Cards in scoring with 17.9 points per game and scored double digits in all but three games this season. He had 92 assist, 64 steals and 114 rebounds averaging 29.8 minutes a game. He shot 40% from the field, 31.7% from three and 82.6% from the free throw line for the season. He recorded a steal in 25 games this season. The lightning quick guard played a pivotal role in the Cards success this season, starting 30 of Louisville’s 31 games.