Ahead of Iona's matchup with Connecticut, Rick Pitino dismisses job speculation as distraction
Rumors swirling around Iona coach Rick Pitino's connection to major openings in the Big East and elsewhere have not been a distraction as the Gaels prepare for an NCAA men's tournament matchup against Connecticut, Pitino said Thursday.
"My players, it’s really not a distraction at all," said Pitino. "I’ve always taken it as a compliment. But I never pay attention to it. We never talk about it. The players expect everything that I have as a coach to try and win this game. It’s all about Iona."
After a controversial end to his tenure at Louisville, a second tournament bid in three years and this season's 27-7 record have made Pitino one of top contenders for the opening at St. John's, which recently fired coach Mike Anderson.
Pitino was born in New York City and went to high school in Oyster Bay, New York, a roughly 30-minute drive from the main St. John's campus in Queens.
The Hall of Fame coach has also been more lightly connected with the openings at Georgetown, replacing Patrick Ewing, and Texas Tech.
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Iona is 64-21 overall and 40-9 in MAAC play under Pitino, who was fired at Louisville before the start of the 2017-18 season as part of the fallout from the corruption scandal that engulfed several major programs and coaches. He spent two seasons coaching a professional team in Greece before being hired by the Gaels.
The No. 13 seed in the West Region, the Gaels are 9½-point underdogs against the No. 4 Huskies, a dark-horse contender for the national championship.
"I think everybody in this room knows they can make a Final Four," Pitino said of UConn.
Asked if he could coach for another decade, the 70-year-old Pitino said his "desire would be to coach that long."
"I’m physically fit and mentally, I think I still have it," he said. "But my wife always says, if you want to make God laugh, make a plan. I just think you take it one year at a time."