I always appreciate anytime corporations use their resources to help raise money for a great cause. That’s why I’m happy to hear that Northwestern Mutual has purchased the 2012-13 Final Four court that was used in Atlanta and will donate it to the University of Louisville where pieces of the court will be sold to help raise money for pediatric cancer treatment.

This will not only be a great chance for Cardinal fans to own a piece of history but we will also be able to play a part in saving lives from this terrible disease. Coach Pitino held a news conference today to talk about the effort, along with officials from Northwestern Mutual and Kosair Children’s Hospital. We learned at the press conference that the original center court of the Final Four floor will hang in the lobby of the Yum Center and that Coach Pitino will sign 1000 pieces of that court that will be sold. The pieces will be sold for 500.00.

Here’s what the pieces for purchase will look like:

Like any press conference with coach Pitino involved there was some good info about how the team is progressing and other great nuggets.

NBA Guys:
Coach Pitino excited to watch Peyton and Kyle Kuric play against each other at 1pm today. Says that he expects to see Peyton make it onto the Detroit Piston roster.

Kevin Ware:
Coach Pitino says that you can see the bone healing in recent X-rays and that he expects the bone to be healed in a month and that’s when Kevin will start working out. Says that he expects Kevin to be playing basketball in October. “Awesome news!”

Current Roster Update:
Coach Pitino says that the BackCourt group is really strong and that they go all out in practice. “Go for blood” is the way coach put it. He also mentioned that Mango had made some good improvements. Coach Pitino seems very excited about the new guys. Coach mentioned how it was scary having Russ Smith as a leader, but that he was doing an awesome job. And briefly mentioned moped wreck. Says that “Russ was OK!”

Future Cards:
Coach Pitino will hit the recruiting trail tomorrow for the first day of the July evaluation period. Coach says that he is looking for two big guys to round out this class. He also mentioned how he was trying to keep the roster balanced so they would never have to completely rebuild. Stay tuned to The Beak Recruiting page for updates. I think a name you will here a lot is Elbert Robinson for a big man.

The ESPYs:
Coach Pitino did acknowledge his nomination and said that he would not be attending the ceremonies. He said that Russ Smith is going on his behalf and will accept award for him if he wins. Says Russ’s speech will be “I am accepting this award on coach Pitino’s behalf and if it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t have won it in the first place.”

Coach was in a very happy mood today and seems to really be in a good place. He talked about how he has took the time to enjoy the championship and how he and his family have celebrated all summer. Happy to see this rejuvenated coach Pitino.

Good press conference today. Be sure to keep watching for the pieces of the floor to go on sale and take advantage of your chance to get your piece of history and help kids with cancer.