NEW YORK — Rick Pitino is a fan of many athletic pursuits, not the least of which is horse racing.

Pitino and a group of friends have owned some winning thoroughbreds over the years, and he's learned the nuances of the sport in part through the guidance of trainer Nick Zito. One of those details is the use of blinders by a horse whose wayward eyes can twitch the animal slightly off course.

"I remember once (Zito) said, ‘We have a good shot of winning today because I put blinders on the horse.'

"I didn't get that whole thing," Pitino said. "How does it help the horse run better? He said it helps them concentrate on the lane they're running and the path they are following. Horses always get distracted and want to look around, even during a race."

Pitino was telling the story Wednesday to a large group of media from around the country that had assembled at the Big East's annual media day at Madison Square Garden. The Louisville basketball coach has used the illustration as a vehicle to describe the focus that he says he'll be employing this season in leading his team while an embarrassing, unseemly incident in his personal life plays out in the public's eye.

"Many times when people face adversity, they get distracted," he said. "You've got to follow your path and stay focused in on where you want to get with your team."

Last spring, rumors first began to surface that Pitino, a married father of five, had had an affair with a Louisville woman. That was confirmed over the summer by Pitino, but with some bizarre twists. The woman, Karen Sypher, claimed Pitino paid her $3,000 so she could get an abortion. Pitino said he gave her the money to purchase health insurance. The basketball team's equipment manager, Tim Sypher, ended up marrying the woman months after the coach first met her.

Pitino claimed that Sypher blackmailed him for $10 million several years after the one-time rendezvous occurred after hours in a city restaurant. The FBI has investigated Pitino's claims and charged Sypher with extortion. Her federal trial is expected to begin sometime in the coming months, and Pitino, who may just be the most recognized person in the state of Kentucky, is the main witness.

"I really just want to focus on basketball," Pitino said. "The best thing for me is to put it behind me. You all have had difficult times in your life that you've had to get through. I've gotten through it. I'm no different than any of you. We'll get through it. I don't want to tell you about my difficulties, because if you look in the mirror you have difficult times in your life. So I'm no different than you."

Pitino promises that he'll shield his players from the notoriety that the case has sparked in Louisville. The specter of the coach being involved in a he-said/she-said trial during the coming season looms as a strong possibility.

"There will be no more distractions," Pitino said. "I owe it to my team. There may be, for a few hours one day, a personal distraction on my part, but there won't be any team distractions."

Pitino spoke excitedly about his team's prospects and the future of one of college basketball's elite programs. Louisville is building a new $350-million downtown arena for the Cardinals.

"It will be the finest basketball arena ever built, college or pro, with the finest amenities. It's $350 million, 70 luxury boxes, right on the river."

Jerry Smith, a senior guard on the Louisville team, spent most of the summer on campus while the sex scandal exploded. He says he felt for his coach, but can see that he is embracing the start of practice and his 24th season as a college coach.

"Coach is tough," said Smith. "With time, we knew it would pass. We're still behind him 110 percent. Now we're very excited to look forward to the season and just move on. He lives for this, without a doubt. He sleeps and breathes basketball. It shows every day in practice. He's definitely the last one to leave the Yum! Center, and he's there bright and early in the morning, too."

Pitino said the only time he lost his cool over the summer came when he felt the media wasn't properly reporting the facts of the case. He said he needed to "step up" for his family, and did so in a news conference that could best be described as rambling.

"Some of you misread my press conference that day," he said. "I wasn't chastising (the media) at all. In the slightest way. I just really had enough, my family had enough, and I needed to step up for my family and for myself and get something off my chest."

Pitino said the case hasn't surfaced "one single time" in recruiting this fall, and he's committed to moving on.

That could prove difficult. The extortion trial will spark national headlines, and he'll certainly face a few vulgar opposing student sections, both in the Big East and when the Cardinals play at archrival Kentucky on Jan. 2.

Pitino coached Kentucky to a national championship in 1996, but became a villain when he took the Louisville job in 2001. He's been booed at Rupp Arena ever since. When he travels to Lexington this time around, he has another reason to lower his head and coach his team with his blinders on.

kmcnamar@projo.com