Pitino set to leave Panathinaikos for college basketball
Panathinaikos head coach Rick Pitino is set to leave his post with the Trifylli after agreeing to become the next head coach of Iona, the school announced on Saturday.
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Rick Pitino’s time in Greece appears to be coming to an end after it was revealed the legendary coach will begin coaching duties at Iona College at the start of the new college season.
One of the legendary coaches of college basketball, Pitino spent 16 years with Louisville before being fired in a pay-for-play scandal that rocked the school and stripped Louisville of its 2013 NCAA championship.
Appointed as a mid-season replacement for Xavi Pascual last season, Pitino steered Panathinaikos to a domestic double before declining a contract extension last summer.
Offering his services to the Hellenic Basketball Federation after the Ethniki crashed out of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Pitino returned to Greece and was hired to coach the Greek national team at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament in hopes of reaching the Olympics in Japan.
Pitino made more headlines a short while after as he replaced Argyris Pedoulakis in the Panathinaikos hot seat, a move that added further tension between the Trifylli and their archrivals Olympiacos.
The New York Times’ Marc Stein reported that Pitino confirmed that signing with Iona will not have an impact on his commitments to Panathinaikos and the Greek national team.
“I’m honoring all my commitments in Greece,” Pitino said in a text message.
Pitino recently returned to the United States to be with family as the coronavirus outbreak across Europe put a pause on both the Basket League and the EuroLeague. Panathinaikos currently sit atop the Basket League standings while also clinging onto a playoff spot in the EuroLeague amidst a four-game losing streak on the continent.
