Pitino still keen on coaching Greece at OQT
Rick Pitino has stated he is still keen on coaching Greece at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, even after securing a return to college basketball with Iona.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV!
Iona College’s appointment of Rick Pitino as head coach of the school’s men’s basketball team has raised questions about the American’s commitment to honour his commitments in Greece with Panathinaikos and the Greek national team.
While the news of Pitino’s appointment at Iona came as a shock to many Greek basketball fans, Pitino has reassured fans and the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK) that his return to college basketball won’t impact his commitments to both Panathinaikos and the Greek national team.
Speaking to ESPN, Pitino confirmed he is still keen on fulfilling his commitments at Panathinaikos and the Greek national team.
“We're in sixth place, fighting for a playoff spot," Pitino said of Panathinaikos’ EuroLeague push. "And I'm still going to coach the national team. [If the NBA season ends], I'm going to get the Greek Freak [Giannis Antetokounmpo] on my team."
It might be easier said than done for Pitino, at least on the Panathinaikos front, as rumblings from the Trifylli suggest Pitino’s time at the club is over. Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos is reportedly not pleased with Pitino’s decision to join Iona, even though there was a clause in the American’s contract to leave the Trifylli at the end of the season.
On the Ethniki front, there appears to be less tension between the EOK and Pitino after it was revealed that Pitino’s agent in Greece, Angelos Kotaridis, reached out to EOK president George Vassilakopoulos to inform him of Pitino’s plans.
While Pitino might not face the same pushback from the EOK as he likely will from Panathinaikos, there is also the threat of the coronavirus pandemic forcing FIBA to cancel all Olympic qualifying tournaments.
Thanks to what was an already tight calendar with the Olympic Qualifying Tournament scheduled to begin immediately after the end of the NBA season, delays caused by the suspension of the NBA season and many other leagues could make it impossible for FIBA to host any of the four tournaments.
For now and as long as the plan remains to go ahead with the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, Pitino will continue to insist that he will be on the Greek bench to help steer the Ethniki to its first Olympic Games since 2008.
