LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rick Pitino needed this night more than he ever has, to come out on the court, hear adoring fans, and then, coach basketball while teaching it to the fans who had come to watch his first official Louisville practice for an hour at midnight.

Pitino was at his best early Saturday morning at the Kentucky International Convention Center, wearing a microphone to keep the fans informed as to what his next move was with his team. He educated the fans, telling them how he would like them to cheer:

	Days like Louisville's media day allow Rick Pitino to worry about players like Otis George and not recent tragedies in his life.

Yell "3" on 3-point shots.

Yell "Cards" when they go in.

Be silent when they don't.

Pitino was micromanaging in a way that has made him one of the most successful basketball coaches at every stop but one, and in every line of business he has tried in his adult life.

But trying to manage his emotions the past month is his toughest challenge. His brother-in-law and best friend of 32 years, Billy Minardi, died at the World Trade Center during the September 11 tragedy. Earlier in the spring, another brother-in-law was killed when a cab hit him in Manhattan.

There are no quick fixes for such life-altering events. Nothing can take away the ongoing hurt. But at least he has basketball to give him a purpose to get through the day.

"I was reading a story about Woody Allen and what a pessimist he is, and I'm the opposite as an optimist. But it's very difficult for me in the game of life right now to be optimistic," Pitino said earlier Friday. "Woody Allen said sports is a meaningless distraction for his pessimism, where for me it's a meaningful distraction for some of the hardships of life. Without it I don't know if I could get through the day. I'm so thankful I'm in Kentucky right now."

Kentucky is where he is most loved. Even if he's wearing red instead of Wildcats blue.

He brought the Wildcats out of NCAA sanctions in 1989 to the national title in 1996. He left for the Boston Celtics that summer, only to leave this past January after he struggled to transform the franchise back into a consistent winner. That's why it made the most sense for him to return to this state, even if it were to rival Louisville, instead of resurfacing at UNLV or Michigan, especially now.

"We have so many friends here to get us through this," said Pitino, who added that Louisville will wear a patch on their uniforms with a "B" inside an American Flag to honor Billy Minardi. "But I wish my wife (Joanne) had basketball. I wish she could pass out at the end of the day from fatigue. It's therapy to talk about basketball. I had a brother-in-law that came to every NCAA Tournament game, and was on every golf trip, and at every horse race with me. He loved college basketball. It's difficult to think of life without him. I don't know it."

Six nieces and nephews are without a father in Pitino's extended family. Pitino and another brother-in-law are trying to show leadership within their family without taking the place of their fathers.

"I lost a son to SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and you can comprehend that. You see a dad die of cancer and someone die of heart disease," Pitino said. "But you can't fathom what happened on September 11. For us to be with Billy two days prior at Pebble Beach, and then two days later have that happened is hard to fathom.

"I thought about taking the year off from basketball, if the right situation didn't arise," Pitino said about leaving the Celtics. "But I thank God that I have basketball. If I didn't have it to lean on right now, I couldn't emotionally survive. I thank God I'm a basketball coach and can get into the lives of young people. It's therapy for me, because without basketball I'd be emotional basket case."

Pitino is getting his family involved as much as possible. Joanne was there Friday night. So, too, were his children, including his son Michael who works in New York and his son Richard, who is a freshman at Providence.

	“	Woody Allen said sports is a meaningless distraction for his pessimism, where for me it's a meaningful distraction for some of the hardships of life. Without it I don't know if I could get through the day. I'm so thankful I'm in Kentucky right now. ”
		— Rick Pitino, Louisville head coach

And the affection his players feel for him was just as clear Friday night and into Saturday morning.

"We've tried to show him support," said junior Reece Gaines. "And make sure we worked hard and got in the gym and did all we could so his concentration would be on us instead of things going on with his family. This has brought us all closer together. Whenever we go out as a team, he opens up to us. He even cracks jokes with us. We're doing all we can do."

That's why Pitino was so proud to announce to the fans that freshman Brandon Bender had gone from 21 percent body fat to 9.8 in three months, or that sophomore Ellis Myles has "six-pack abs" for the first time in his life. That's why he lights up when he talks about rebuilding this program. Denny Crum was one of the best Xs and Os coach, according to Pitino, but he said Louisville recruiting had trailed off after the great run in the '80s with two national championships in 1980 and '86. He loved to talk about how the Cardinals can compete within Conference USA along the perimeter, because of Gaines, freshman Carlos Hurt, Myles and freshman Larry O'Bannon. He doesn't shy away from saying the Cardinals don't shoot well and will be weak inside.

"It's a complete rebuilding job," Pitino said. "Louisville always used to be able to pick the best basketball players. Carlos Hurt, Larry O'Bannon and some of the young people we got from Louisville (Bender) give us a good fusion into the basketball program. We're down right now and I don't want to paint a rosy picture. We can be competitive if we work hard. It'll take three recruiting classes to turn this around and get Louisville back where it belongs."

He was genuinely pleased with his first night and really seemed happy as he exited the Convention Center in the early hours of the morning. So, this was a good day for Pitino and his family. Hopefully, the first of many to come.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.