Paul Finebaum doesn’t hold back when discussing how bad of a hire Rick Pitino would be for Georgia
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Not long after Georgia announced its decision to move on from Mark Fox, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams tweeted out that he was “hearing Rick Pitino’s name a lot” for the new opening in Athens.
That news caused quite a reaction over the weekend. So much so, that Paul Finebaum claims he fell out of his chair when he first saw it.
During his weekly Monday morning radio appearance on WJOX 94.5 FM program The Roundtable, the SEC Network host shot down any discussion of Georgia hiring the disgraced former Louisville coach.
“The Rick Pitino conversation, I think, is a non-starter,” Finebaum said on the air. “I would be dumbfounded if that happened.”
Here is what Finebaum had to say when he was asked how good the Georgia job can be. While he answered the question, his comments went back to Pitino rather quickly.
“I think it’s good, primarily because of location. There’s no reason Georgia can’t mine the state, which Mark Fox had not done on a consistent basis,” Finebaum continued. “I will tell you, it’s not going to be Rick Pitino. I think that would be a travesty. Knowing (Georgia AD) Greg McGarity and the kind of program he administers in Athens, Rick Pitino would be a laughingstock hire.
“I don’t think it’s even possible but I don’t know what Jay Williams knows, but I’m telling you right now it won’t be Rick Pitino.”
Finebaum was then asked if Pitino is as untouchable as former Baylor football coach Art Briles.
“He’s in the same zipcode. It’s not quite as bad… I think in college basketball he would be the most controversial hire,” he added. “When I saw (that Jay Williams report), I literally fell out of my chair. I never like to jump on somebody else’s sources because they may know more than me but I’m going to feel pretty comfortable on this one.”
While one ESPN personality is suggesting Pitino could land in Athens, Finebaum doesn’t seem willing to even consider the possibility of the move. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Georgia make a splashy hire but the splash that hiring Pitino would create is something the SEC most likely would not appreciate at this time.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
