Rick Pitino Discusses Future Plans, Will 'Look At Certain Situations' Once The Season Ends
It definitely sounds like Rick Pitino is open to taking a new job.
Pitino has the Iona Gaels in the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed this Friday against UConn in the opening round. After an incredible run at Iona, the former Louisville head coach is reportedly drawing serious interest from St. John's.
Will Pitino, who has had several major jobs, jump from the Gaels to the Red Storm? He definitely didn't rule it out with some recent comments.
Rick Pitino leaves the door open on his future.
"One time, there was talk about an extension, new contract and so on. It didn't work out … There's no hard feelings. If anything, it's the opposite. There are great feelings. So, I don't know. At the end of the year, I'll look at certain situations," Pitino said Sunday when addressing his future with the media.
Pitino did address St. John's specifically and said that while he's local, it's been probably three decades since he's been on campus.
Will Pitino jump ship?
The facts are simple. Rick Pitino is a winner at the college level. He has two rings, and has won everywhere he's gone.
Below is his record with major D1 college programs:
The numbers are clear and you can't dispute them. Yes, he was run out of Louisville after an alleged pay for play scandal, but nobody cares about that anymore.
We're now living in the NIL era. Players can profit. There's no reason to go back to Pitino's history at Louisville other than the winning.
If St. John's is seriously interested, it makes sense for them to throw a bag at him. The Red Storm, while not terrible, don't scare anyone. Go ahead and look at Pitino's record again and ask yourself if those numbers should terrify opposing teams? The answer is yes.
Rick Pitino has won everywhere he's gone, and he could definitely do it again at St. John's. First, he has to take care of UConn Friday in the NCAA Tournament. From there, speculation will only get louder.