Rick Pitino, away from college basketball since 2017, is returning as Tim Cluess’ successor at Iona. (Photo by Sports Illustrated)
Rick Pitino is back in the college basketball landscape.
The Hall of Fame head coach, exiled by two NCAA scandals that led to his demise at Louisville in 2017, has agreed to become the next head coach at Iona College, replacing Tim Cluess, who resigned Friday after ten years at the helm in New Rochelle.
“My passion in basketball started in New York and will end there at Iona College,” Pitino said in a release issued moments ago by Iona. “Tim Cluess has done a spectacular job creating success and a winning spirit. I wish Tim a speedy recovery and Iona will always cherish his accomplishments.”
“At Iona, I will work with the same passion, hunger and drive that I’ve had for over 40 years. There is a real professionalism in how things are run here and this is a very tight, strong community. The priority in New Rochelle right now is helping students continue their education online in light of the coronavirus, and I very much look forward to the day when the community is back on campus and to get to work on further elevating this strong program.”
The only coach in NCAA history to win national championships at two different schools, as well as one of only two coaches — John Calipari being the other — to take three schools to the Final Four, Pitino, 67, had been coaching Panathinaikos in the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague since being fired by Louisville in light of the pay-for-play scandal involving Brian Bowen, who had allegedly been compensated by Adidas representatives to play at Louisville, a program for whom Adidas serves as the apparel outfitter. This came just two years after a scandal involving escort Katina Powell being paid to supply female escorts for Pitino’s players at Louisville between 2010 and 2014. The school later vacated its 2013 national championship as a result of a subsequent NCAA investigation, which cited Pitino with a Level i violation for lack of institutional control. However, Pitino met with NCAA officials while coaching in Greece, and believes he will not be disciplined any further.
“I feel very comfortable (with my situation),” he told the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I have total confidence in the judgment of the NCAA.”
His controversies aside, Pitino is arguably one of the world’s premier basketball minds and talent evaluators, having compiled an official record of 647-271 (770-274 including vacated results) in a career spanning over four decades at Hawaii, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, receiving the ultimate honor when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. He won the 1996 national championship at Kentucky before losing to Arizona in the title game the following season, and also coached both the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in two separate stints in the National Basketball Association. In addition, he has developed countless professional players and seen 21 of his former assistant coaches become head coaches; namely his son, Richard, at the University of Minnesota, Billy Donovan of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Willard at Seton Hall University, and Steve Masiello at Manhattan College, against whom he will now coach twice a year as the Jaspers are Iona’s longtime Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival.
“I am delighted to welcome Rick Pitino to Gael Nation,” Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski said. “Rick is a Hall of Fame coach who has won at the highest levels, and he is committed to leading our student-athletes and our program to national prominence. He brings passion and energy, and shares our desire to build a winning program that will make our community proud.”
The timeline of events surrounding Pitino’s hire predates Cluess’ sudden resignation, as Iona boosters reportedly met with Pitino in Greece while the recently-concluded basketball season was still going on. Cluess had stepped away from the sideline to tend to an undisclosed health matter days before the year began, leaving the program in the hands of associate head coach Tra Arnold. Pitino’s relationships with Iona president Seamus Carey from his time at Kentucky and business relationship with Iona booster Robert LaPenta — who the coach is a co-owner of several thoroughbred racehorses with — were instrumental in luring Pitino back to the game he loved, and clearly missed.
“I took the job wanting it to be my last job,” Pitino said to Braziller. “I spoke to numerous people about it and I’m glad I’m ending it with a small Catholic school that has the potential to be built up into a major power. It’s a perfect fit at a perfect time in my life. My biggest regret in coaching was leaving Providence College. They were two magical years in my life. It was a small Catholic school with a small gym I loved so much. I’m going back to a similar situation. I know I’ll love it equally the same.”
“Rick has demonstrated that he cares deeply about helping student-athletes achieve great success on and off the court,” said Carey. “After a thorough interview process, we are confident that Rick’s experience and commitment to Iona and our community make him the right person to continue to build on Tim Cluess’ success. We welcome Rick and his family to New Rochelle and look forward to accomplishing big things together.”
Information on a formal introduction of Pitino to the Iona community has yet to be determined. Forbes’ Adam Zagoria reported that his contract is a five-year agreement, with terms not disclosed. The Journal News later revealed Pitino’s compensation will be “slightly less” than the $1.1 million annual salary Cluess received at the time of his resignation.
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