In a move that many have expected, Rick Pitino is set to become the next head coach at St. John’s, per John Fanta of Fox Sports. Pitino’s Iona Gaels were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament by Connecticut 87-63 on Friday afternoon.
NEW: St. John's intends to finalize a deal with Rick Pitino to hire the Hall of Famer as its next head coach, sources tell FOX Sports.
My story: https://t.co/9tILHTkAnK
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 18, 2023
The Hall of Fame coach has spent time at a number of universities and in the NBA. One of the more memorable moments was coaching for both bitter rival Kentucky and Louisville programs. He won a national championship with Louisville which was later vacated due to NCAA violations.
Pitino has taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament and coached two national championship teams. During his 32 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Pitino has a 770-271 overall record and a 54-19 record in the NCAA Tournament.
Pitino has been the head coach at Iona since 2020.
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Hey John , Why did you not mention in your article that Pitino was cleared of all those charges brought forth by the NCAA. The real story here should be about ST.JOHNS has another chance to gain respect and once again return to being a prominent team worthy of Final Four tournament discussion! Give Coach Pitino a couple of years or maybe sooner thanks to the transfer portal and just see what one of the best coaches in NCAA history can produce !! Stop being a “Debbie Downer” !