INDIANAPOLIS – After leading Iona to the NCAA men’s tournament in his first season as a coach, Rick Pitino has no plans to leave.
Pitino said on Saturday that he does not want to “participate in the so-called big time” anymore, as the Gaels’ season ended with a 68-55 loss to second-placed Alabama in the first round of the tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Iona, 15th seed in the east, overcame a long break to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference under Pitino, who made 22 appearances in NCAA tournaments with five different programs.
He returned to college basketball this season after training at EuroLeague for the Greek club Panathinaikos.
Pitino trained Louisville from 2001 to 2017, winning a national title and achieving three Final Fours and six Elite Eights. He was fired in October 2017 amid a federal investigation into college basketball fraud and corruption. Pitino seemed to refer to his departure on Saturday, saying: “I am not discouraged by the big shows, I am discouraged by what happened to me.”
“It is no longer about me trying to level up, making more money,” he added. “I am in a great place in my life. I can train six, seven more years, God willing, just try to make young people better, try to make the program reach heights it has never reached. That’s all I planned. a great place to be. There are some things that are terrible about being 68 years old. The best thing about it is being in Iona, being able to teach without anyone bothering you, just making the players better. “
Prior to Louisville, Pitino spent eight seasons in Kentucky, winning a national title in 1996 and making three games on Final Fours and four on Elite Eight.
“I want to take a smaller school, like Providence, like Iona, a small school and try to make it big,” said Pitino, who made his first Final Four as a Providence coach in 1987. “But I didn’t want to participate in any of the others, I was sick of it. To be honest, it discouraged me 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 hopes to build more success in Iona, saying the team would be “much better” in its second season. He noticed several young players and an improved schedule that he thinks could make the Gaels a candidate for a spot in the general NCAA tournament for years to come. Pitino listed future home games against Seton Hall and BYU at Madison Square Garden, and challenged his son, Richard, the new coach from New Mexico, to face “the mighty Gaels” next season.
“We just need to improve the program, take the next step,” he said. “Let’s take the next step. I have no doubt that Iona will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.”