Rick Pitino Addresses Coaching Rumors Ahead of NCAA Tournament
The Gaels head coach weighed in on other college basketball programs vying for his services.
As Rick Pitino prepares No. 13 seed Iona for a men’s NCAA tournament first-round matchup against No. 4 Connecticut, questions remain about his college basketball coaching future after the season.
In the last few weeks, Pitino has been linked to head coaching vacancies at Texas Tech, St. John’s and Georgetown. The Gaels coach was asked about the rumors on Thursday and said he views being vetted by other programs for his coaching ability as a “compliment,” but that has hasn’t been paying attention to the various reports.
“You’re not hired by the Internet,” Pitino said ahead of his team’s matchup against the Huskies. “My players, it’s not a distraction for them at all. I’ve always taken it as a compliment throughout all the years that if somebody else is interested in you, very thankful for that, but I never pay attention to it.”
Pitino has led the Gaels to two NCAA tournament appearances and a 64–21 mark across three seasons with the program. In addition to winning a second-consecutive MAAC tournament, Iona finished the 2022 season with their second-straight regular-season title.
Prior to Iona, Pitino had success at Louisville, Kentucky and Providence, which included winning two national championships and appearing in seven Final Fours.