For a faction of Rick Pitino’s former gamers, those with whom he had turn into closest throughout quite a few stops in his collegiate teaching profession, the overwhelming sentiment on Oct. 16, 2017, when Louisville’s athletic board voted to fire him “for cause” within the wake of an FBI investigation into fraud and corruption throughout the game, was considered one of real fear.
Basketball was every little thing for Pitino — the rationale he received off the bed within the morning, the rationale he stayed in wonderful form, the rationale he willingly labored such lengthy hours even then, 40 years after his profession started, and his seventieth birthday neared. Other than his household, in line with quite a few former gamers, there was nothing Pitino beloved greater than being within the gymnasium and training, identical as he’d executed for many years. However the choice by Louisville’s brass to forcibly take away him, which Pitino ultimately acknowledged was the proper choice, slammed shut a door that appeared perpetually open for somebody of his ilk.
“That is why plenty of us, man, when he left Louisville with the issues that went down, we had been actually involved for him,” mentioned Larry O’Bannon, a member of Pitino’s first recruiting class for the Cardinals, throughout an interview with FOX Sports activities. “Involved for his well being as a result of Coach is only a fanatic, man, with how he is aware of his basketball. That is his objective, that is what drives him, that is what wakes him up, that is what motivates him, that is what retains him going.
“And so it is not stunning to see what he is executed at St. John’s, man. It doesn’t shock me as a result of if you understand Coach, man, you understand Coach eats, sleeps and breathes basketball.”
To higher perceive the way in which Pitino is wired, and to understand why so most of the individuals he subjected to that depth are giddily watching the comeback he is authored at Iona and St. John’s, which begins its NCAA Event run on Thursday night, FOX Sports activities spoke with 15 of Pitino’s former gamers throughout his Corridor-of-Fame profession. The interviews ranged from his time as an assistant coach underneath Jim Boeheim at Syracuse (1976-78) by means of his present tenure with the Red Storm (2023-present), together with the handful of collegiate stops he made in between: at Boston College from 1978-83, at Providence College from 1985-87, at Kentucky from 1989-97, at Louisville from 2001-17 and at Iona from 2020-23.
That is the third in a three-part sequence titled Postcards of Pitino. We conclude with The Comeback, which started when Pitino returned to varsity basketball in 2020 after a quick stint teaching professionally in Greece. He spent three years at Iona earlier than taking up St. John’s in a triumphant return to the Massive East in 2023.
[Postcards of Pitino: Part 1 | Part 2]
Editor’s be aware: The next accounts had been edited for size, readability and move.
From: Dylan van Eyck, F, Iona (2019-22)
Profession stats: 6.4 factors and 4.8 rebounds per sport in 78 appearances
Years with Pitino: 2
Me being a European participant, I knew his title and that he had a historical past in Europe. I did not know a lot about his faculty days. However I knew him because the Panathinaikos coach, I knew him because the Greek nationwide crew coach. And I’ve watched plenty of video games along with his Panathinaikos crew once they had been taking part in. You may see his ardour, you possibly can see his love for the sport and the way a lot he places into it. He is generally known as a coach who requires you to do rather a lot, nevertheless it’s solely as a result of he desires the very best out of his crew and his gamers.
I’ve had Serbian coaches, I’ve had Jap European coaches, I’ve had all various kinds of coaches — however none of them are like Coach P. I do not suppose I’ve ever been yelled at like that earlier than. He has his personal method of claiming issues and doing issues. Each observe he wears a microphone that is linked to all of the audio system within the gymnasium. So he does not should scream, however he nonetheless screams rather a lot.
I used to be his captain for 2 years, and I felt like I had an excellent private relationship with him. So he knew plenty of private issues about me. Typically when he will get mad at you, he type of makes use of these private issues in his yelling. Not essentially in a nasty method, however simply to just remember to actually know if you pissed him off with a nasty move or a nasty turnover or one of many issues he hates essentially the most is a nasty defensive second. He instructed me one time that if I throw a move like that once more, the one factor I am going to ever obtain in my life is taking part in basketball in a rustic that nobody has ever heard of. However he by no means went out of line or something loopy disrespectful the place you thought he went too far. He knew learn how to strike a steadiness.
My first 12 months I used to be a captain with Isaiah Ross after which my second 12 months I used to be with Elijah Joiner. He allow us to be coaches on the courtroom. He would take heed to us in timeouts. We’d have our personal opinions. Each time there have been issues off the courtroom, he would seek the advice of with us instantly. He actually allow us to be player-coaches, which I believe helped me rather a lot in growing my basketball IQ. And in my professional profession, I’ve nonetheless been considerably of a pacesetter as nicely on every crew, both a captain or a co-captain. So the way in which that he taught me learn how to be a pacesetter on the courtroom, what he anticipated from me was accountability, accountability, and that was all the time why me and Elijah normally had been those that received it the worst in some type of method. As a result of as his captain, he simply expects extra from us as a result of he knew what we might obtain. He developed an extra-personal relationship with us to assist us turn into higher at main.
However I additionally appreciated that he is not only a basketball coach generally. Typically, he is like a life coach. We’d have classes the place he would train us about learn how to use a bank card or learn how to apply for loans. He would not simply be a basketball coach. He additionally made positive he would type of put together gamers for all times after basketball, life after faculty. And now as knowledgeable, ending up in all totally different sorts of conditions, you look again on the method he was a coach on and off the courtroom, that’s one thing I believe I respect essentially the most. That does not simply occur in faculty.
I am nonetheless in superb contact with him. I believe we textual content about a couple of times a month, simply checking up. He does not have the time to observe my video games, however he checks out the stats. His buddies, the folks that he launched me to throughout my faculty profession, additionally they investigate cross-check me. So if you happen to’re a participant and also you give him every little thing you’ve got throughout these years with him, he actually treats you want household for the remainder of your profession and the remainder of your life.
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From: Berrick JeanLouis, G, Iona (2020-23)
Profession stats: 6 factors and three.8 rebounds per sport in 97 appearances
Years with Pitino: 3
I keep in mind the primary time I heard from him was proper when Covid hit, and our JUCO season received shut down. I used to be ready for my Division I gives, and I used to be listening to from a bunch of colleges. I used to be about to decide to Wichita State once I’m on Twitter randomly and I see Rick Pitino received employed at Iona, or was about to get employed at Iona. After which the subsequent day, I get a name from him, he is like, ‘That is Rick Pitino.’ I am like, ‘What the heck?’ I choose it up and he principally says that he desires to recruit me and that I am a terrific athlete and he desires me to play for him, and that my model suits him completely. After I hung up the telephone, my highschool coach and my JUCO coach had been each like, ‘You need to go there instantly. No different choice. No selection.’ So I simply went.
I knew he all the time had good groups, and clearly I knew of the allegations at Louisville, the allegations they had been saying about him and why he received fired. However I by no means actually knew a lot about him as a result of I used to be all the time youthful. The 2 issues I knew had been 1) that he might develop gamers very nicely and a couple of) he was an excellent coach. I keep in mind each my coaches, they all the time tried to type of coach like him, too, or all the time talked about him or how his groups used to play.
The very first time I received there, I used to be like, ‘OK, this man is loopy.’ However then as you get to know him higher and also you play for him, he talks to you want that and he yells to encourage you to play tougher. It felt like he was making an attempt to make you mad so that you’d play tougher. And it all the time works. I do not know the way it does, nevertheless it’s such as you’re mad at him however you are going to take it out on the opposite crew. Earlier than we begin the season, he principally tells us that once we’re between the basketball strains, we’re all animals. We’ve got to be beasts and be totally different. We’ve got to deal with it prefer it’s life or dying, principally. And once we’re off the courtroom, he is all good and pleasant. He is loopy, however he is not loopy as an individual. He is truly a terrific individual.
The very first thing that he helped me enhance was principally my protection. He knew I used to be tremendous athletic and he knew that I used to be on-ball defender, which I did not actually imagine. I believed I used to be simply an athlete. I needed to run, soar and dunk and rating. However he twisted that and principally mentioned, ‘You are too athletic to be getting beat one on one defensively. And it’s best to be capable to keep in entrance of the ball, full courtroom, in opposition to anyone.’ So, principally, he challenged me to defend the ball full courtroom and simply give it my all.
And he improved my capturing means. We labored on my capturing each morning at 7 a.m. and tried who is aware of what number of pictures. He would present up, all of the coaches, everyone, and we might shoot for an hour. Each single individual had totally different instances and teams by your place. So he’ll take all the purpose guards and capturing guards collectively, all of the small forwards collectively, and all of the bigs collectively. And with each group, what we do within the offense, he would implant drills for issues that we might do within the sport like back-door cuts, nook capturing, taking place the lane and passing. On the finish of it, we might all play one-on-one in opposition to one another. I keep in mind we got here out after the lockdown ended and I felt like I used to be a method higher participant than earlier than. It was like I performed utterly totally different. And that was simply from two months with him, simply doing our drills within the morning and no practices. The event was simply loopy.
My greatest instances had been at Iona. All people beloved us. All people got here out to assist our video games. Academics had been greeting us. Academics had been giving us scouting stories as in the event that they had been Rick Pitino. It was time to be at Iona. We had been profitable, everyone was comfortable, it was enjoyable. It was a method totally different environment with him at Iona. I do not know what it was like earlier than, however I do know with him, it was an incredible expertise. He principally made the college really feel prefer it was a high-major program, to be trustworthy. We needed to go there for him.
I used to be scrolling on Instagram lately, and I noticed the clip of him giving the St. John’s gamers a speech within the locker room. And I commented on the video ‘PTSD.’ It actually gave me PTSD for a way he was screaming at them, telling them that they are tender and so they’re like youngsters. It simply gave me PTSD of how he used to speak to us and the way he would encourage us to play and the way the crew all the time got here out after he gave that speech and performed tremendous exhausting. What I realized from him is that he is principally by no means mistaken. Every part he says or each play he attracts, if he says, ‘Do that, try this, it can work,’ after which it all the time labored for us. If we didn’t take his phrase and we might do one thing reverse, it by no means labored. He is like a wizard at that. He is a basketball genius, principally.
I play abroad in Greece now, and every little thing he taught me, I take advantage of it right here. The coaches use me the identical method that he used me. And it is gotten me jobs, so it is all labored out nicely for me. One factor he’ll do is get you paid. He is undoubtedly going to get you paid.
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From: Quinn Slazinski, F, Iona (2021-23)
Profession stats: 8.3 factors and three.3 rebounds per sport in 107 appearances
Years with Pitino: 2
Earlier than transferring to Iona, I spent two years at Louisville and I’d simply hear limitless tales on Rick. It was what individuals talked about nonstop. I imply, they constructed statues of him. It was a really totally different sort of affection that they had for him. So a few my Louisville buddies reached out and mentioned, ‘Hey, Iona is making an attempt to recruit you. Rick Pitino is the coach there now.’ Earlier than I went into the telephone name with him, instantly in my head I used to be like, ‘I’d by no means play for him.’ I’d inform anybody I knew that dedicated to him, I would be like, ‘You guys are f—ing loopy. I’d by no means play for him in 1,000,000 years with the way in which he talks to his gamers. That is no enjoyable.’
So lengthy story brief, I take the telephone name and Rick Pitino’s dialog with me was rather a lot totally different from the opposite coaches. He used the phrase ‘professional.’ That was the primary time a coach of a school ever referred to me as, ‘Hey, I believe you could be a professional.’ He was the primary one. To listen to Rick Pitino say, ‘I believe you could be a skilled basketball participant, and I can get you there. That is how we will do it,’ was eye-opening. That was the one factor about Pitino that you simply actually cannot train in teaching — his means to encourage, which I believe is the No. 1 attribute of any profitable coach. I keep in mind after that telephone name, instantly I used to be so motivated. I needed to name him once more and see once we might begin.
I keep in mind the primary time we put our footwear on and are available collectively as a bunch — all of us received to high school perhaps a day earlier than the primary session — and he brings two individuals on the market, offers the offensive participant the ball and goes, ‘OK, after three dribbles round this cone, we’re dwell.’ And I keep in mind all of us taking a look at one another like, ‘Are we dwell? Are we competing proper now?’ At Louisville, it is the entry day, it is the theatrics. He was like, ‘We’re competing.’ That was the one factor with Pitino. These practices are playoff video games. If it is a drill, we’re not simply going to drill it with a pad. We will do it one on one, there’s going to be a winner and there is going to be a loser. And that is what he would train: It is necessary to be a winner. It is rather necessary. It solves issues. It creates happiness. And that is what he taught us in these practices in the summertime. Every part is a conflict. And never that he is not loud sufficient already, however he would put on a microphone. So when he screams, ‘Quinn!’ and it is from the encompass sound and also you’re simply spinning like 360 levels making an attempt to determine the place is he, the place is he, the place is he?
The one factor he actually prioritizes is talent growth, and that is what I didn’t have at Louisville. Rick Pitino would get up at 6 a.m. and practice three youngsters at a time in the identical place, and he is working the exercises each single day, from on daily basis in the summertime to on daily basis earlier than the season. Not like, ‘Hey, I used to be the coach for the Knicks and now I am teaching this small s—.’ No, he was at each single participant growth working the exercise, pushing you. And these exercises aren’t identical to, ‘Hey, let’s rise up some pictures.’ I imply, we might be working a full-court layup drill to begin so you possibly can’t even breathe. After which we’re doing full-court 3s. After which we’ll do a one-on-one section, no water, like constantly going. And that is what I appreciated about him. It wasn’t identical to a energy coach doing it for present. No, if you wish to be a greater basketball participant, we will play basketball rather a lot after which we will compete.
Now this can be a optimistic and type of one of many negatives of taking part in with Pitino, and it is that if shoot round was at 10 a.m. and the sport is at 3 p.m., we’re in a full sweat by 10:07 a.m. We compete each shootaround. We’re competing each play. It sucks, proper? You are considering, ‘I’ve gotta play later tonight and he is making me choose up full courtroom.’ However he made it in order that we performed issues dwell so many instances and did it the entire week, we competed for a pair hours a day generally, that it simply actually made it that a lot simpler within the sport.
School teaching is typically a giant energy journey for some individuals. And I proceed this by saying Pitino is the exact opposite. So I am seeing plenty of coaches that might actually degrade their gamers, proper? Make them really feel like they’re nothing. Pitino would yell — generally with a swear phrase in between — however he would yell reinforcement, optimistic reinforcement. He would all the time put you as much as the take a look at of being a canine. I believed you had been constructed like this. Extra of a, ‘I do know who you’re, I handpicked you, I do know you have received one thing particular in you and I’ll deliver it out of you,’ type of factor.
Clearly it is not the way you say it, it is what you are making an attempt to say. So generally it might look dangerous, proper? ‘Wake the f— up! Wake the f— up! That was a horrible transfer!’ But it surely’s extra so about doing it once more and doing it higher, not him saying, ‘Do not ever try this once more.’ There wasn’t one time in my profession with Pitino that I had a insecurity. Now, it was extremely exhausting. I would say about 85% of gamers would battle with that sort of teaching. It isn’t a knock on the participant, and it is not a knock on Pitino. It is simply that he can coach a really particular participant. And lots of people say they need to be coached exhausting till they spend a pair months with Ricky P. He was constantly taking violent motion to win video games as a result of he knew it was an important factor.
The factor about Pitino is he’ll give the very best recommendation for you. He isn’t going to mislead you. I keep in mind a child got here as much as him, we had been recruiting him, and he mentioned, ‘Nicely this faculty within the SEC provided me $500,000.’ And Pitino was recruiting him exhausting, he was a terrific participant, we actually needed him. And he goes, ‘Son, it’s good to go to that college.’
He simply understands offers from the surface. It is by no means private with him. In order that was like the principle factor he is taught me that actually modified my life: Nothing on this world is private. It is all a mirrored image on simply enterprise motion, so you’ve got to have the ability to separate the 2. And I used to be in a position to do this at a mature degree, inform him about that, and that is what led me to West Virginia for my closing 12 months of eligibility, which ended up having a life-changing impact. And now I get to play with all of the NBA pre-draft exercises and be within the G-league this 12 months. That was due to the 12 months I had at West Virginia. He understood that there is a sport throughout the sport and everybody must do what’s greatest for them. He was utterly understanding. It was good.
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From: Daniss Jenkins, G, Iona and St. John’s (2022-24)
Profession stats: 12.3 factors and three.6 assists per sport in 118 appearances
Years with Pitino: 2
Once I took my go to to Iona, I clearly knew of Rick Pitino, however I needed to do my very own little analysis on the Terry Roziers and Donovan Mitchells and the Peyton Sivas. I needed to go watch how they performed for him at Louisville as a result of I needed to get a really feel of how he coached his guards. So once I went there on my go to, I did a exercise. And as soon as I did my exercise, that was all I wanted. He did not want to inform me anything. He did not want to inform me about my minutes, about my function or how he would coach me, about my future. I used to be like, ‘If I do work with him for these subsequent two years, I do know I will be able to be knowledgeable basketball participant.’
It was simply the way in which that his drive and his ardour and his consideration to particulars got here throughout within the exercises. I knew that I like being pushed. I like being pushed in that sort of method as a result of I am very aggressive. And I simply know on this sport that you’ve got gotta consistently put the work in, after which that can reward you. So for me, it was in regards to the work ethic and the way a lot he would push me each single day like that. It was type of like we had been the identical individual, and he was simply the coach.
My first preseason with Coach P. was undoubtedly up and down. It is so humorous as a result of some individuals suppose that me and him simply clicked instantly, and it is not like that as a result of it’s important to undoubtedly get used to him, get used to his teaching. And you have to perceive that he says issues at a special degree. Once you’re younger or if you first begin taking part in for him, you do not actually perceive it. However he is simply doing every little thing he can to win. He all the time mentioned, like, ‘We’re gonna be ready. The opponent isn’t going to shock you. They don’t seem to be going to ever shock us with something. We will scout each little factor about them.’ And that is precisely what we did. We had been prepared for every little thing.
At the moment, for me, it was extra so about me understanding my reads and what I am searching for within the choose and roll. He knew we weren’t on the degree we had been speculated to be at the moment. Regardless that I used to be making good performs, he was like, ‘No, I would like you to make the nice play. That is not going to be open in opposition to crew.’ And at the moment, I did not actually perceive it as a lot as a result of I am like, ‘My massive man is extensive open. I’ll attempt to get him the ball.’ However as soon as I actually understood what he was saying, it simply made it a lot simpler for me. That is what the professional degree is all about, it is simply all about making the learn. And he was actually prepping me on that.
I knew him being at Iona was particular within the preseason, like once we did our open scrimmage. It was virtually offered out. Regardless that the constructing isn’t that massive — it is small — it may well get loud. So the followers got here out and so they confirmed out. Coach had his individuals within the stands, and then you definately simply had the individuals round New Rochelle and town of New York. They usually simply confirmed love. They confirmed plenty of love as a result of they love basketball. That was part of it for me, too, being in New York, with the ability to play basketball and be the very best model of myself. I could not flip that down.
It was undoubtedly tougher to construct the tradition at St. John’s. And that is all the reality. As a result of at Iona, everyone is aware of that with the intention to transfer up, we have now to win. We’re at a mid-major. People do not get success if we lose. Scouts will not be taking a look at a dropping crew in a mid-major convention. In order that’s why all of us had been capable of keep collectively and simply bond collectively. It was by no means in regards to the particular person objective. And I simply suppose generally at a big-time faculty in an influence convention, everyone had that mindset of, ‘I am taking part in for Rick Pitino, I am within the Massive East, I am in New York.’ So it was type of like all the person targets did not meet up with the crew targets. To me, that was the most important distinction. Typically we weren’t even hanging out as a lot, you understand? The bond that we had been speculated to have, we had been simply lacking that early on within the season.
To me, that is the distinction between my crew and the crew that is killing it at St. John’s this 12 months. They have been locked in because the summer season. They usually all don’t have any sort of egos. They usually simply need to win. They know the one objective is to win, as a result of that is what Coach P. preaches each single day. I actually suppose he is mastered the psychology of basketball and of people. Having the ability to encourage them and get them to do precisely what he wants them to do. To me, that is what makes him particular. He makes you need to show him mistaken. In order that was my message to my teammates once I was at St. John’s: ‘Let’s simply go show him mistaken.’
I all the time inform individuals — particularly being professional now — I look again in school and we had been so fortunate, man. We had been so blessed due to the alternatives that we had. We went to the New York Inventory Change. We did plenty of totally different stuff that most individuals would not be capable to do, all as a result of we had been in New York, taking part in for Rick Pitino at St. John’s. All people beloved us. They beloved New York, and we had been New York’s crew. So it simply introduced an entire lot of consideration. And particularly if you’re profitable, it is the appropriate sort of consideration. That is what Coach P. all the time instructed us: ‘In case you lose, you deliver the mistaken sort of consideration.’ However he was like, ‘Once you win, you need that sort of consideration.’
It was simply thrilling to see us deliver St. John’s again. I’ve by no means skilled nothing like that.
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From: Joel Soriano, C, St. John’s (2021-24)
Profession stats: 10.3 factors and eight.5 rebounds per sport in 140 appearances
Years with Pitino: 1
Throughout that point after Coach Mike Anderson was fired, it was plenty of feelings. However actually it was simply attending to know among the candidates that they had been mentioning. So I used to be simply researching, studying Coach Pitino’s story and seeing what he had executed in basketball, seeing how he modifies applications and what he brings to the desk. It was actually surprising. After which as soon as I received to fulfill him in individual, that is when every little thing actually type of opened up.
We each needed to win, so we got here to that conclusion fairly quick. After which we simply tried to determine what my future would possibly seem like as a result of I used to be solely going to be there for a 12 months. So it was simply outlining the subsequent step to changing into knowledgeable, simply taking place step-by-step what I have to work on with my sport, what are some positives I’ve, the negatives. And actually simply him saying how exhausting he was going to push me. He was going to ask for lots out of me. He appreciated my sport as a publish scorer, rebounder, very bodily down low. He needed to work on my exterior capturing, my motor, my physique and simply preparing for the NBA degree, the professional degree. I believed within the plan.
I used to be impressed by simply how dialed in he’s. He is very detail-oriented. His work ethic is exclusive, it is considered one of a form. The best way he prepares himself for a sport is considered one of a form as nicely. I’ve by no means seen a coach put together like that. He actually is aware of what the opposite crew is working and the way they function to a ‘T.’ Him and the teaching employees spend plenty of time simply watching our movie, watching the opposite crew’s movie, simply making an attempt to get higher. They’re making an attempt to enhance on daily basis. He is very passionate. Some of the passionate coaches that I’ve ever been round.
In all probability after a loss it might be a bit harder than every other day. Typically we might be taking part in with no water break, most likely received to sneak in some water. In case you get a turnover or have a mistake on the courtroom, otherwise you’re drained or one thing, he would ship you on the treadmill for like two minutes. However for essentially the most half, yeah, it is intense, man. He is an intense man. Firstly, I used to be not used to it. However because the 12 months went on, I lastly received used to it.
I really feel like through the time you are with him, man, you do not actually respect what he is making an attempt to do for you. Clearly he is making an attempt to win now, however I really feel like he builds his gamers for all times. Nothing is straightforward. He says, ‘Nothing will ever be given to you. You need to work for every little thing.’ And I really feel like he tries to implement that on daily basis in observe. I imply, perhaps generally you have a look at it like, ‘Rattling, this motherf—– is on me on daily basis.’ It is like a gnat in your back-type s—. However in actuality, he is getting ready you for all times, bro. You are going to undergo adversity in life, you are going to undergo dangerous instances, you are going to undergo no matter bumps you’ve got in life.
I believe he simply builds you as males. Making an attempt to construct you as a lot as potential by means of basketball, which I respect him for. The extra time I have been away from this system, and now that I’ve gotten to the subsequent degree, I actually realized to understand among the life classes that he has taught me. I respect that and provides plenty of due to him, too.
It will imply rather a lot to see Coach Pitino again within the Last 4. He is a terrific coach, man. And that complete scandal factor that went on with him at Louisville, it is kinda unhappy to see that due to how a lot he offers to the sport. However I believe they’re gonna go to the Last 4 this 12 months, to be trustworthy with you. I do not actually see a crew that is extra nicely put collectively than them. If he does get again there, I do know it’ll be a loopy, loopy feeling. Hopefully I get to catch a sport or hopefully I will go to a kind of video games and see it dwell in individual.
Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and faculty basketball for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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