A very interesting Q & A interview with Rick Pitino on being hired at Iona:
Rick Pitino: "It fulfills everything I want"
Rick Pitino is back. After coaching for two years in Greece, Pitino, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, agreed to become the next head basketball coach at Iona. Shortly after the news broke Pitino talked to 247Sports about coming back to the college game, what he learned in Greece and what excites him the most about this new opportunity.
What are your emotions right now, knowing you are back coaching in college basketball and at Iona?
It had to be the right place and the right people, and because I grew up in New York. Iona is 10 minutes from my son Ryan. 10 minutes from the club I belong to Wingfoot. It’s 25 minutes from my apartment in the city. I’m back with my family and back with where it all started for me. I had to know the people involved and I just happened to know the President because he was the president of Transylvania. We had a conversation when I left Louisville and I left him tickets to some Louisville games, he and his wife. If it wasn’t for the President, it probably never happens.....
What excites you about this opportunity?
Do you feel like there is unfinished business with your college coaching career with the way things ended at Louisville?
What did you miss most about college basketball?
After everything that happened at Louisville and with the NCAA, are you surprised that you’re back in the college game?
Outside of the family connections and the President, what was attractive about Iona?
What was the timeline on how this went down?
How much do you know about the program?
What did you learn from your time in Greece?
How do you foresee implementing that into your coaching style at Iona?
Do you know what your niche will be from a recruiting standpoint at Iona, obviously it’s a little different than some of the other schools you’ve been at?
Post by runningman on Mar 14, 2020 17:43:06 GMT -5
The Rich get richer. If recruiting against Iona was difficult in the past, it will now become even more difficult. The Pitino name will attract more high level recruits who will want to play for a HOF coach
Post by brokenboat on Mar 14, 2020 17:48:17 GMT -5
I think this is a great move for IONA and the MAAC. Right now we are sitting in a sea of irrelevance from a lack of winning and notoriety. This move solves both.
Post by dannynoonan on Mar 14, 2020 18:59:01 GMT -5
I agree with those who think this is a shot in the arm for the MAAC. The MAAC's men's basketball profile has slipped in recent years and will no doubt benefit from Pitino coaching Iona. As the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity. It's been the main topic of conversation on WFAN for at least the last hour.
From a personal perspective, I agree with those who think this is yet another reason to pursue other conference opportunities, if there are any. I'd also be ashamed/embarrassed/etc if Fairfield had made this move. Iona, while I respect their success in men's basketball, is not a school I want to be associated with. I'd prefer the Patriot Lg because those are the schools I'd like to be associated with, but wouldn't complain about the CAA at this stage.