Legendary college basketball coach Rick Pitino has trained Iona for three seasons.
A fourth is up in the air.
Iona Gaels head coach Rick Pitino watches during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, NY. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Following Iona’s 87-63 loss to the UConn Huskies on Friday, Pitino was asked if the loss in the first round it was his last as head coach of the Gaels.
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«I don’t really have an answer, to be honest with you,» Pitino said. «I have no idea if it is or not, because I have focused everything on this game, trying to develop a plan to beat connecticut.»
Pitino is rumored to be the preferred candidate for the head coaching job at St. John’s, a school just 20 miles away from Iona.
Head coach Rick Pitino of the Iona Gaels reacts in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, New York. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
«I haven’t really thought about anything at all,» Pitino said when asked if he had a timetable for making a decision about his future. «I hear the question from you, and I think that when you start thinking about the future, you always fail.
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«We put a lot of effort into this game. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s right for me, another job. I don’t know. It’s something, like I said before, I know you.» Everyone alludes to St. John’s, but I’ve never seen St. John’s. Someone sent me a clip.»
St. John’s fired head coach Mike Anderson last week after four seasons and failed to lead the Red Storm to the NCAA Tournament.
«After fully evaluating the men’s basketball program, our University has decided that a change is needed in both leadership and direction of St. John’s Basketball» Athletic Director Mike Cragg said in a statement, according to ESPN. «We wish Coach Mike Anderson and his family the best in their future.»
Head coach Rick Pitino of the Iona Gaels looks on in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies during the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, New York. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Pitino’s Gaels went 27-8 before losing to Uconn in the tournament and put together a great first-half effort against the Huskies.
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Iona took a 39-37 halftime lead before being outscored by 26 in the second half.
«I thought we had a legitimate chance to beat them before the game, but we came out in the second half and they just dominated us,» Pitino said. «So they deserve all the congratulations.»