Who Is Rick Pitino?
Rick Pitino is a 70-year-old Italian-American collegiate basketball coach. He is best known for taking four separate teams to the NCAA, with two of those teams, (Louisville and Kentucky) reigning victorious in the championship.
Why Did He Move to St. Johns?
St. Johns, a university in Queens, NY, contracted Pitino after firing their previous coach, Mike Anderson. Anderson supposedly failed at creating an environment that was nurturing to both the physical and mental well-being of students, causing many to not meet the requirements that the university holds. Anderson is now suing St. Johns under an arbitration lawsuit. Pitino’s newfound involvement with the team involves motivations to move St. Johns to the NCAA.
What Are Pitino’s Plans With the Team?
Because Pitino has been involved with seven NCAA tournaments in total, he is not a stranger to being highly decorated and successful in the world of basketball. His motives for St. Johns include getting their team to the Big East Semi-finals in order to move them up to the NCAA tournament, which the team has not seen a victory for since 2000. Ultimately, Pitino wants to lead St. Johns to victory with his successful coaching style.
Sources
Sources: Rick Pitino agrees to 6-year deal with St. Johns [ESPN]
Report: Rick Pitino, St. John’s agree to 6-year contract [CBS New York]
Rick Pitino-Men’s Basketball [Iona Gaels]
Mike Anderson to file lawsuit over firing from St. Johns [SB Nation]
Pics: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peyton_Siva_hoists_Louisville%27s_NCAA_championship_trophy_in_2013.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Peyton_Siva_hoists_Louisville%27s_NCAA_championship_trophy_in_2013.jpgAdam Glanzman, Michigan Daily, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Cover Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rick_Pitino,_2013_Final_Four.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Rick_Pitino%2C_2013_Final_Four.jpg, Adam Glanzman, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
