Former Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino could be returning to the SEC, according to ESPN’s Jay Williams.
Williams tweeted Saturday that he has heard Pitino’s name mentioned by “trusted sources” in connection with the current head coaching vacancy at UGA. While Pitino, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, certainly has the on-the-court resume for the position, the hire would raise eyebrows. Pitino was fired from Louisville on Oct. 16, 2017 due to the school’s involvement in a pay-for-play scandal.
Pitino coached at Louisville from 2001-17, leading the Cardinals to a national title in 2013. The title was stripped by the NCAA, however, as punishment for a scandal involving recruits and escorts from 2010-14.
Prior to coaching at Louisville, Pitino’s most recent jobs were as the head coach of the NBA’s Boston Celtics (1997-2001) and the Kentucky Wildcats (1989-97). Pitino-coached teams have been to the Final Four seven times when including the vacated appearances from 2012 and ’13 (1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2012, 2013). The Wildcats won the national championship in 1996.
Georgia is also reportedly looking at former Indiana coach Tom Crean. UGA officially fired Mark Fox on Saturday.
Been hearing Rick Pitino’s name a lot from trusted sources regarding the Georgia job.
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) March 11, 2018
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
