{"id":16665,"date":"2018-12-29T02:45:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-29T08:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=16665"},"modified":"2018-12-29T02:45:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-29T08:45:37","slug":"rick-pitino-agrees-to-coach-euroleague-top-tier-powerhouse-panathinaikos-hopes-this-venture-will-lead-to-an-opportunity-to-coach-in-the-nba-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=16665","title":{"rendered":"Rick Pitino Agrees To Coach EuroLeague Top Tier Powerhouse Panathinaikos, Hopes This Venture Will Lead To An Opportunity To Coach In The NBA Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"module-position-Rb-VVhsetPE\" class=\"storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module story-story-headline-module\">\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16668\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pitino-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pitino-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pitino-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pitino-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pitino-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pitino.jpg 1296w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Rick Pitino arrives in Greece to begin coaching job at Panathinaikos.<\/h1>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-Rb-VVhteuPg\" class=\"storytopbar-bucket piano-module story-piano-module\"><\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-Rb-VVhtyfa0\" class=\"storytopbar-bucket bounce-exchange-module story-bounce-exchange-module\"><\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-Rb-VVhtJfhA\" class=\"storytopbar-bucket google-survey-module story-google-survey-module\">\n<div class=\"article-metadata-wrap\">\n<section id=\"module-position-Rb-VVh0rGRA\" class=\"storymetadata-bucket expandable-photo-module story-expandable-photo-module\">\n<aside class=\"single-photo expandable-collapsed\">\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\"><strong>Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino is back in coaching, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/sports\/college\/louisville\/2018\/12\/26\/former-louisville-coach-rick-pitino-arrives-greece-panathinaikos\/2413885002\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">having landed in Greece on Wednesday morning<\/a> with a new job he&#8217;s starting immediately, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ekathimerini.com\/236020\/article\/ekathimerini\/sports\/pitino-arrives-in-athens-for-panathinaikos\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">according to reports<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"asset-double-wide double-wide p402_premium\" role=\"main\">\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\"><strong>&#8220;I have signed with Panathinaikos and I am ready for the challenge,&#8221; Pitino <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurohoops.net\/en\/euroleague\/799968\/rick-pitino-i-have-signed-with-panathinaikos-and-im-ready-for-the-challenge\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">told Eurohoops.net<\/a>. &#8220;&#8230; I&#8217;m excited to be here. It&#8217;s the first time in 41 years as a coach that I will take up a team in the middle of the season.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>Pitino&#8217;s new team Panathinaikos has a game scheduled for Friday, and Pitino noted upon arrival that he had a practice scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaab\/2018\/12\/20\/rick-pitino-ex-louisville-basketball-coach-take-job-greece-report\/2377311002\/?utm_source=feedblitz&amp;utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&amp;utm_campaign=usatodaycomcollegemensbasketball-topstories\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">Word got out last week<\/a> about Pitino&#8217;s opportunity and interest in the coaching job with the pro team in Greece. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/sports\/college\/louisville\/2018\/12\/20\/rick-pitino-greek-basketball-team-coaching-job-hire\/2378291002\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">told the Louisville\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/sports\/college\/louisville\/2018\/12\/20\/rick-pitino-greek-basketball-team-coaching-job-hire\/2378291002\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">Courier Journal<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/sports\/college\/louisville\/2018\/12\/20\/rick-pitino-greek-basketball-team-coaching-job-hire\/2378291002\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\"> at the time<\/a> that he would finalize his decision after speaking with family, though it sounded like a formality.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>&#8220;I miss coaching terribly,&#8221; Pitino said. &#8220;I still have a lot of bitterness toward Louisville and to the Southern District of New York, and I think this will make it go away quite a bit.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>Pitino tweeted Monday thanking team owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos for the &#8220;unique opportunity&#8221; and that he was &#8220;fired up to help.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rb-VVpjimQA\" class=\"story-asset oembed-asset\">\n<div class=\"story-oembed-wrap \">\n<div class=\"js-oembed story-oembed story-oembed-twitter story-oembed-type-rich\" data-oembed-type=\"rich\" data-oembed-provider=\"twitter\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paobc.gr\/page.ashx?pid=1\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16670\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-GREEK-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-GREEK-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-GREEK-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-GREEK-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-GREEK-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-GREEK.jpg 1120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Panathinaikos<\/a>, which competes in the continent&#8217;s top-tier EuroLeague, represents Pitino&#8217;s first full-time coaching job since being fired by Louisville prior to the 2017-18 season after the Cardinals&#8217; program was embroiled in the FBI&#8217;s investigation into college basketball.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>The Greek club&#8217;s roster includes former Florida guard Nick Calathes, former Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas and former Kansas guard Keith Langford.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"module-position-Rb-VVhwvcAo\" class=\"storybottombar-bucket leaderboard-ad-module story-leaderboard-ad-module\">\n<div id=\"ad-position-46\" class=\"partner-placement leaderboard-btf-ad leaderboard-ad partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"leaderboard_btf\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[728,90]]\" data-monetization-id=\"leaderboard_btf\" data-monetization-sizes=\"728,90\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-usatoday-leaderboard_btf-sports-basketball-college-7\" class=\"ad-slot\" data-google-query-id=\"CMXCq6z9w98CFUPGwAodMPUNWA\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/leaderboard_btf\/sports\/basketball\/college_0__container__\">\n<p><strong>Pitino&#8217;s goal is to return to the NBA as a head coach, and his hope is that the Panathinaikos job can be a steppingstone to achieving that.<\/strong><\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline editorial float-r\" data-behavior=\"article_related\">\n<h2><strong><a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/25116516\/former-louisville-coach-rick-pitino-hoping-become-nba-coaching-candidate\" name=\"&amp;lpos=story:editorspicks:inline:1\">Pitino hoping to become NBA coaching candidate<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"ProfileHeaderCard-screenname u-inlineBlock u-dir\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealPitino\"> <span class=\"username u-dir\" dir=\"ltr\">@<b class=\"u-linkComplex-target\">RealPitino<\/b><\/span> <\/a><\/h2>\n<h2><strong><a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/25116516\/former-louisville-coach-rick-pitino-hoping-become-nba-coaching-candidate\" name=\"&amp;lpos=story:editorspicks:inline:1\"><\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>Pitino recently told ESPN that he hoped for an opportunity to return to the NBA as a coach. He has been radioactive among NBA and major college basketball programs since his scandalous end at Louisville in October 2017, but modern basketball history regards him as one of the great teachers, tacticians <\/strong>and<strong> motivators in the sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Panathinaikos has started 6-7 in EuroLeague, leaving the team in 10th place. The owner, Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, has a volcanic reputation in Europe. He was fined 150,000 euros in 2015 for barging into the referee&#8217;s room and threatening to kill the officials and their families after a playoff victory over CSKA Moscow.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Panathinaikos&#8217; roster includes <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/3969\/nick-calathes\">Nick Calathes<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/4017846\/georgios-papagiannis\">Georgios Papagiannis<\/a>, Keith Langford, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/2528235\/type\/college\">Deshaun Thomas<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/3430\/type\/college\/james-gist\">James Gist<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/3102533\/thanasis-antetokounmpo\">Thanasis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, the older brother of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/team\/_\/name\/mil\/milwaukee-bucks\">Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> superstar <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/_\/id\/3032977\/giannis-antetokounmpo\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pitino has had three runs in professional basketball: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/team\/_\/name\/bos\/boston-celtics\">Boston Celtics<\/a> president and coach, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/team\/_\/name\/ny\/new-york-knicks\">New York Knicks<\/a> coach and Knicks assistant coach.<\/strong><\/p>\n<article class=\"ad-300\">\n<div class=\"ad-center\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-incontent2-802301\" class=\"ad-slot ad-slot-incontent2 ad-wrapper\" data-slot-type=\"incontent2\" data-slot-kvps=\"pos=incontent2\" data-independent=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"COONwNn-w98CFUW_wAodiBYMpw\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/6444\/espn.com\/nba\/story_7__container__\"><strong>Before the scandal that ousted him at Louisville, Pitino authored a legendary college career. He won two national championships (1996 and 2013) and reached five Final Fours. He was 647-392 overall.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16669\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-C-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-C-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/PITINO-C.jpg 306w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>Pitino resigned from the Celtics early in his fourth season in 2001 with a 102-146 record. He was considered to have been overwhelmed with dual roles after signing pro sports&#8217; biggest coaching\/executive deal to date (10 years, $70 million). He resigned with nearly $30 million left on the deal.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m not looking for any of that [power\/control] at this stage of my life,&#8221; Pitino told ESPN recently. &#8220;I want to develop teams and develop players and build a winner. I value analytics. I want to fit into an organization. At this stage, that&#8217;s all I&#8217;m interested in.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pitino had a shorter, but more successful, run as coach of the Knicks in the late 1980s, winning an Atlantic Division title and reaching the playoffs twice (1988 and 1989) before leaving for Kentucky. Under Pitino, the Knicks won 52 regular-season games and reached the conference semifinals in his final season with the team.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>MORE ON RICK PITINO,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach of Italian descent.\u00a0He was captain of the <a title=\"St. Dominic High School (Oyster Bay, New York)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/St._Dominic_High_School_(Oyster_Bay,_New_York)\">St. Dominic High School<\/a> basketball team in <a title=\"Oyster Bay (hamlet), New York\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oyster_Bay_(hamlet),_New_York\">Oyster Bay<\/a>, <a title=\"Long Island\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Long_Island\">Long Island<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-cigar_12-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> He enrolled at the <a title=\"University of Massachusetts Amherst\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst\">University of Massachusetts Amherst<\/a> in 1970. He was a standout guard for the <a title=\"UMass Minutemen basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/UMass_Minutemen_basketball\">Minutemen basketball team<\/a>. His 329 career assists rank tenth all-time at UMass, as of the 2009\u201310 season. He led the team in assists as a junior and senior. The 168 assists as a senior is the eighth-best single season total ever there. Pitino was a freshman at the same time future <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">NBA<\/a> legend <a title=\"Julius Erving\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Julius_Erving\">Julius Erving<\/a> spent his junior (and final) year at UMass, although the two never played on the same team because freshmen were ineligible to play varsity basketball at the time. Other teammates of Pitino&#8217;s include <a title=\"Al Skinner\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Al_Skinner\">Al Skinner<\/a>, who also went on to become a successful college coach, and baseballer <a title=\"Mike Flanagan (baseball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mike_Flanagan_(baseball)\">Mike Flanagan<\/a>, who went on to pitch in the major leagues and win the AL <a title=\"Cy Young Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cy_Young_Award\">Cy Young Award<\/a> in 1979.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pitino earned his degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) in 1974. He currently serves as the head coach of <a title=\"Panathinaikos B.C.\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Panathinaikos_B.C.\">Panathinaikos<\/a> of the <a title=\"Greek Basket League\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Greek_Basket_League\">Greek Basket League<\/a> and the <a title=\"EuroLeague\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/EuroLeague\">EuroLeague<\/a>. He has been the head coach of several teams in <a title=\"NCAA Division I\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCAA_Division_I\">NCAA Division I<\/a> and in the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">NBA<\/a>, including <a title=\"Boston University Terriers men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Boston_University_Terriers_men%27s_basketball\">Boston University<\/a> (1978\u20131983), <a title=\"Providence Friars men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Providence_Friars_men%27s_basketball\">Providence College<\/a> (1985\u20131987), the <a title=\"New York Knicks\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_York_Knicks\">New York Knicks<\/a> (1987\u20131989), the <a title=\"Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kentucky_Wildcats_men%27s_basketball\">University of Kentucky<\/a> (1989\u20131997), the <a title=\"Boston Celtics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Boston_Celtics\">Boston Celtics<\/a> (1997\u20132001) and the <a title=\"Louisville Cardinals men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Louisville_Cardinals_men%27s_basketball\">University of Louisville<\/a> (2001\u20132017). Pitino led Kentucky to the NCAA championship in <a title=\"1996 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NCAA_Division_I_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament\">1996<\/a> and Louisville in <a title=\"2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2013_NCAA_Division_I_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament\">2013.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>He is the only coach to lead three different schools (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to a Final Four. Pitino is one of only four coaches in NCAA history (along with <a title=\"Dean Smith\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dean_Smith\">Dean Smith<\/a>, <a title=\"Mike Krzyzewski\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mike_Krzyzewski\">Mike Krzyzewski<\/a> and <a title=\"Jim Boeheim\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jim_Boeheim\">Jim Boeheim<\/a>) to take his school to the Final Four in four separate decades, one of only three coaches (along with <a title=\"Roy Williams (coach)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Roy_Williams_(coach)\">Roy Williams<\/a> and <a title=\"Jack Gardner (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jack_Gardner_(basketball)\">Jack Gardner<\/a>) to have led two different programs to at least two Final Fours each, and one of only two coaches (along with Williams) to have led two different programs to at least three Final Fours each. In 2013, Pitino was elected to the <a title=\"Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Naismith_Memorial_Basketball_Hall_of_Fame\">Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-3\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pitino is the only NCAA men\u2019s basketball coach to have a National Championship (along with multiple Final Four appearances) vacated.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Beyond basketball, Pitino has been involved in the sport of <a title=\"Thoroughbred\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thoroughbred\">Thoroughbred<\/a> <a title=\"Horse racing\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Horse_racing\">horse racing<\/a> as the lead partner in Celtic Pride Stable and the Ol Memorial Stable. Among his notable horses have been <a title=\"A P Valentine\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/A_P_Valentine\">A P Valentine<\/a> and Halory Hunter.<sup id=\"cite_ref-38\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Pitino, through the stable name of RAP Racing, owns a 5 percent share of <a title=\"Goldencents\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Goldencents\">Goldencents<\/a>. Goldencents, who won the $750,000 2013 <a title=\"Santa Anita Derby\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Santa_Anita_Derby\">Santa Anita Derby<\/a>, ran in the 2013 <a title=\"Kentucky Derby\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kentucky_Derby\">Kentucky Derby<\/a> and finished 17th despite having 8\/1 odds of winning.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pitino is the author of a motivational <a title=\"Self-help\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Self-help\">self-help<\/a> book (and <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Audio recording\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Audio_recording\">audio recording<\/a>) named <i><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Success is a Choice\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Success_is_a_Choice\">Success is a Choice<\/a><\/i>. He published an autobiography in 1988 entitled <i>Born to Coach<\/i>, describing his life up until his time with the Knicks. His most recent book <i>Rebound Rules<\/i>, was the top seller at the 2008 Kentucky Book Fair.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2005, Pitino&#8217;s Louisville team posted a tie for the most single season wins in school history (33)\u2014since surpassed by the 35 total wins by the 2013 NCAA title-winning Cardinals team\u2014while he is one of two men&#8217;s coaches in NCAA history to lead three separate schools (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to the Final Four. The other coach is his in-state rival, John Calipari (UMass Amherst, Memphis, Kentucky), though both final four appearances at UMass and Memphis were later vacated.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As of 2015, Pitino&#8217;s .746 winning percentage in 72 NCAA Tournament games ranked fourth among all coaches, third among active coaches.<sup id=\"cite_ref-37\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc\" class=\"toc\"><strong><input id=\"toctogglecheckbox\" class=\"toctogglecheckbox\" role=\"button\" type=\"checkbox\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rick Pitino arrives in Greece to begin coaching job at Panathinaikos. Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino is back in coaching, having landed in Greece on Wednesday morning with a new job he&#8217;s starting immediately, according to reports. &#8220;I have signed with Panathinaikos and I am ready for the challenge,&#8221; Pitino told Eurohoops.net. &#8220;&#8230; I&#8217;m excited [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[330,11,8,1314,1456,1156,2416,13,14,106,187,1,7,9,10],"tags":[3001,3000,2999,2998],"class_list":["post-16665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-hall-of-fame","category-health","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-realpitino","tag-1952-age-66-new-york-city","tag-2013-final-four-jpg-pitino-in-a-press-conference-for-the-2013-final-four-sports-basketball-biographical-details-born-september-18","tag-rick-pitinorick-pitino","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}