Rick Pitino Returns to New York to Coach Iona

Brendan Smith

Less than three years after his tenure at Louisville ended in scandal, Rick Pitino has returned to college basketball, agreeing to become the new head coach at Iona College. The move came just days after the NCAA announced the cancellation of all remaining winter and spring competitions. Iona was previously led by Tim Cluess, who stepped down after missing the season due to an undisclosed illness. In his ten years at the helm of the Gaels, Cluess led the team to six conference championships.

Pitino has been coaching overseas since his dismissal from Louisville in October 2017. Louisville, along with several other schools and Adidas executives, was found to have committed recruiting violations, specifically, agreeing to pay Brian Bowen $100,000 dollars upon his professional career beginning. This was the second time that Pitino had caught the attention of the NCAA while at Louisville, as the school was stripped of their 2013 National Championship due to a sex-for-pay scandal.

While there is no denying that Pitino will improve Iona from a basketball standpoint and put the school on the national scene, the potential backlash from his hiring may outweigh the benefits. Pitino is known as a strong recruiter and will need to replenish the roster he is inheriting at Iona.

Personally, the Pitino hiring confuses me. While I understand the desire to put Iona on the national landscape, his recruiting style specifically does not seem to fit the previous regime's style. Cluess was known for hammering the Junior College market, something Pitino has been hesitant to do in the past.

Overall, the hire will propel the Gaels to a different class of mid-majors, and possibly attract high-level coaches once the job opens again.