Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach and the head coach of Panathinaikos. He has also been the head coach of several teams in NCAA Division I and the NBA. He is also the only coach to lead three different schools to a final four. Let’s know more about him through this article.
What is Rick Pitino famous for?
An American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague.
When was Rick Pitino born?
Recalling his early life, Rick was born and brought up in New York. He is American by nationality and belongs to White ethnicity. His birth sign is Virgo and information regarding his parents and siblings was yet to be disclosed. Similarly, He loved playing basketball from a young age and was the captain of his school basketball team at St. Dominic High School.
He went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1970 and played as a standout guard for the Minutemen basketball team. He led his team in assists both as a junior and senior. He graduated from the university in 1974.
When did Rick Pitino begin his sports career?
- After his college, he took up a job as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii in 1974. Within a year he moved up to become a full-time assistant, eventually serving as Hawaii’s interim head coach during the 1975-76 season.
- He was hired as the head coach by Boston University in 1978. Before his arrival, the team was performing very miserably. He helped to change the team’s fortunes for the better and led them to their first NCAA appearance in 24 years.
- After leaving Boston, he became an assistant coach with the New York Knicks under Hubie Brown for the seasons 1983-85. In 1985, he became the head coach at Providence College whose team was not performing well. Within two years he led them to the Final Four.
- In 1989, he was selected to be the coach at Kentucky. At the time of his joining the team was reeling under the after-effects of a scandal involving their former coach Eddie Sutton.
- He worked hard to earn back the team’s reputation and led them to the Final Four in the 1993 NCAA Tournament. He also helped the team win a national title in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
- He went to NBA in 1997 and took up the task of coaching the University of Louisville in 2001. He led the team to the Final Four, they’re first ever in 19 years.
- His team made the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) but was defeated by the University of South Carolina in 2005. In 2007, the team comprising of mostly the same players, finished at the second place in the Big East Conference.
- Louisville defeated Boise State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee to advance to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA tournament. However, they were defeated by North Carolina.
- The Puerto Rico Basketball Federation selected him as the next head coach for Puerto Rico’s Olympic team in 2010. However, he could not take up this assignment due to NCAA regulations which disallowed it.
- He led the team to the Big East tournament championship in 2012 where they defeated Davidson, New Mexico, and Michigan State to advance to the regional final. They won the regional final but lost in the Final Four to national champions Kentucky.
- The University of Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2015-16 season amid an ongoing NCAA investigation over an escort sex scandal involving recruits between 2010 and 2014. The ban included both the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
- On June 15th, 2017, the NCAA charged Pitino for failure to monitor his basketball program, which was involved in a sex-for-pay scandal. He was suspended for the first five games of the ACC season in 2017-18.
- On September 18th, 2019, nearly two years after his dismissal and his lawsuit for $38.7 million against the ULAA, He settled with the University and dropped the case. As a result, his termination was changed from firing on October 16th, 2017 to resignation on October 3rd, 2017, citing “zero liability” between both parties.
- On March 14, 2020, He was named head coach of Iona College after Tim Cluess stepped down from the position due to health issues on March 13th. Despite the hiring, He is scheduled to finish his commitments to Panathinaikos.
- Besides these, He has also authored several books including the motivational book, Success is a Choice, autobiography Born to Coach, and Rebound Rules.
Who is Rick Pitino’s wife?
Reflecting on his personal life, Rick was married to Joanne Minardi in 1976. They had six children, of whom one died as a child. The couple established the Daniel Pitino Foundation in his memory through which they raised millions of dollars for children in need. Presently, the pair live a blissful life without rumors of separation.
Further, He lost his best friend and brother-in-law Billy Minardi in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
How much is Rick Pitino’s worth?
Being a basketball coach, Rick coach earns an impressive amount of money and fame through his profession in the feild of the sports industry. Based on some online reports, his estimated net worth said to be $45 million at present. However, his salary and assets details are yet to be disclosed.
How tall is Rick Pitino?
Observing his body statistics, Rick stands a height of 5 feet 10 inches and weighs around 70 Kg. Similarly, he has a slim body with a pair of moss green eyes and salt and pepper hair color. Further, his other body information is yet to be disclosed. In the case of disclosed, we will let you know.
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