Donovan Mitchell shares 'crazy' 4-hour workout sessions from during his Louisville career: "Coach Rick Pitino is nuts"

St. John's Red Storm coach Rick Pitino has had what can only be described as an interesting career. He has seen stellar wins mixed with several controversies during his tenure with various teams.

One of his most memorable spells was as coach of the Louisville Cardinals, where he won the 2012-13 national championship title, which was later revoked by the NCAA.

Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell played for the Cardinals between 2015 and 2017. He revealed on the 'Prize Picks' podcast the punishing workout schedules instituted by the legendary coach.

"So, I go there and little do I know, those up and down practices. Coach P is crazy man, Coach P is nuts. Four hours press, you remember the press, non-stop and on top of that, we've got individuals in the morning, 45 minutes non-stop," Mitchell said. "They told me and I was like, 'Nah, I'm watching you, it ain't that bad, what are y'all talking about?'"

After his sole season playing for Rick Pitino, Mitchell was picked No. 13 overall by the Denver Nuggets and traded for the No. 24 pick by the Utah Jazz in 2017.

Rick Pitino had a tumultuous Louisville career

Rick Pitino had a difficult time at Louisville. In 2012-13, the Cardinals won 35 games - a record for the program. He capped it off with an 82-76 win against the Michigan Wolverines in the national championship game.

The title was the third in Louisville's history and made Pitino a history maker as the only coach to win national championships with two different programs. His 1996 March Madness win with the Kentucky Wildcats was his first win.

That title was revoked by the NCAA in 2017, alongside 123 wins between 2010-2014 due to an explosive investigation. It found that Andre McGee, the then Louisville director of basketball operations, had procured 'striptease dances and sexual acts' for the players.

During a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Pitino was adamant that the title he won with the Cardinals is legitimate. He demanded that the NCAA restore it.

“Sooner or later, the NCAA is going to get smart and do two things — put that championship banner back and the second thing the Heisman people will do is give that Heisman Trophy back to Reggie Bush,” Pitino said.

“First of all, what went on, I’ve said it many, many times, it was reprehensible behavior by a few people,” he said. “The NCAA came and said there was $5,600 in a three-year period for four times a year that they did the wrong thing. It had nothing to do with steroid use. It had nothing to do with breaking rules to an advantage on the basketball court. We earned that championship.”

Rick Pitino has gone on to have had a relatively controversy-free career as coach of the Iona Gaels and the St. John's Red Storm. But his mixed tenure in Louisville will always live long in the memory.