Rick Pitino has no plans to leave Iona after guiding the Gaels to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in his first season as head coach.
After a 68-55 loss to Alabama No. 2 on Saturday, Pitino admitted that he no longer wants to “participate in the so-called big time”, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. Pitino said:
“I want to take a smaller school, like Providence, like Iona, a small school and try to make it big. But I didn’t want to be part of any of those others, I got tired of it. be very honest with you, in many different areas. Now I don’t have to look over my shoulder to see who I’m going to trust, who I’m not going to trust.
“I am in paradise now and where I need to be.”
Pitino made his first appearance in the Final Four as a Providence coach in 1987.
Pitino believes he will continue to be successful in Iona, saying the team will be “much better” next season. The Gaels finished third at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a record of 12-6 and defeated the Fairfield Stags by 60-51 in the MAAC championship.
Pitino has been very successful in the past, so it is no surprise that he is comfortable coaching a team that is not considered a college basketball elite. The 68-year-old made 22 appearances in NCAA tournaments with five different programs. He coached Louisville from 2001-2017, winning a national title and achieving three Final Fours and six Elite Eights. He also spent eight seasons in Kentucky from 1989-1997, winning a national title in 1996 and making three Final Fours and four Elite Eights.