Well-traveled coach Rick Pitino could be on the move again.
Pitino, who is listed by NCAA Statistics to have a coaching record of 711-290 and has two national championships in 35 seasons, the last three at Iona, is in talks to take over at St. John’s, ESPN reported Sunday, citing unnamed sources.
The 70-year-old Pitino, who guided Kentucky to the title in 1996 but had his second championship at Louisville in 2013 vacated by a recruiting scandal, met with St. John’s officials on Sunday, according to the report.
St. John’s has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000, and last appeared in the tourney in 2019, when it was bounced from the First Four.
The school fired coach Mike Anderson on March 10. In his four seasons, the Red Storm went 68-56 overall and 30-46 in Big East play. Sources said Pitino has been the school’s primary target to replace Anderson, according to the report.
Pitino began his coaching career with Hawaii, Boston University and Providence before Kentucky and Louisville. He also was a head coach for six NBA seasons, spending two with the New York Knicks before four with the Boston Celtics.
–Field Level Media
