ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – DECEMBER 18: Head coach Rick Pitino of the Iona Gaels walks onto the courtroom earlier than his crew’s recreation in opposition to the New Mexico Lobos at The Pit on December 18, 2022 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photograph by Sam Wasson/Getty Photographs)
St. John’s has fired head basketball coach Mike Anderson and it seems as if the Purple Storm have already got their eye on Rick Pitino.
Rick Pitino could also be on his manner again to the Big East. In keeping with school basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, St. John’s has fired head basketball coach Mike Anderson and Pitino is predicted to be a major candidate to be his substitute.
The rumors have been out and about for a while now about Pitino returning to an influence convention after spending the previous three season as the pinnacle coach of the Iona Gaels.
Rick Pitino, who rose to fame within the school teaching ranks throughout his time with the College of Kentucky, has been on the outs for some time after the scandal that arose whereas he was teaching on the College of Louisville.
Pitino was fired by UofL in 2017 after a pay-to-play scandal involving former recruit Brian Bowen got here to mild. Pitino, nonetheless, was basically exonerated of any wrongdoing by the NCAA’s Impartial Accountability Evaluate Course of late final 12 months.
That ruling has taken the as soon as un-hirable Pitino and put him again in play for any variety of colleges that may like to resurrect their school basketball program by hiring the Corridor of Fame coach. It seems as if the St. John’s Purple Storm have Pitino on the high of their checklist.
Sources: St. John’s has parted methods with Mike Anderson.
Iona’s Rick Pitino is predicted to be a major candidate to be his substitute. The varsity has spent the previous few weeks vetting Pitino’s potential candidacy for the job.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 10, 2023
St, John’s basketball looks like the right match for the New York native. Previous to teaching the Kentucky Wildcats, Pitino coached at Boston College (1978-1983) and Windfall (1985-1987).
Pitino made a rapid stopover within the NBA with the New York Knicks (1987-1989) earlier than coming to UK and serving to to place that program again atop school basketball. Pitino led the Wildcats to the 1996 Nationwide Championship and virtually received the title once more in 1997 earlier than jetting off to the NBA to educate the Boston Celtics.
After failing within the NBA as soon as once more, Pitino knew it was time to return to the faculty ranks and landed at Kentucky’s in-state rival as the pinnacle coach of the Louisville Cardinals.
Rick Pitino received the John Wood Coach of the Yr Award in 1987, has been to the Final Four seven occasions and has two Nationwide Championships (although one was vacated). This may be an enormous get if St. John’s have been capable of shut the deal and convey Pitino again to the Large East Convention.
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Rick Pitino’s return to energy convention school basketball within the works.
