Saint Rick? 5 Reasons Rick Pitino Could End Up Coaching Siena
Rumor has it that Hall of Fame college basketball coach Rick Pitino is interested in the head coaching vacancy at Siena College. While it may seem like a longshot, the disgraced coaching legend and the fledgling basketball program may actually be a good fit. Do I think it will happen? It's a bit of a longshot, but here are 5 reasons it may actually work.
According to a report from the Times Union, Rick Pitino is interested in the head coaching job at Siena, a position made vacant when Jimmy Patsos resigned last week. Let's break down 5 reasons it could actually work.
He doesn't need the money. Pitino's net worth is estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-75 million dollars. He would likely take the job for a fraction of the7.7 mil per year he made at Louisville but as our next point lays out, at this stage of his career, it may not be about the money.
His Age. Pitino is 65 and well into the twilight of his coaching career. How many prime years would he have left...5, 7, 10 maybe? Coaching is what he does and may be all he knows how to do. He's made his money, won his championship, ressurected programs, and been involved in major scandals. It's possible that he'd coach at a school like Siena simply for the love of the game.
There's NO risk for Siena whatsoever. Let's be honest here, it can't get much worse than it already has for Siena these days and they do need a coach. They'd get a hall of fame one on the cheap who wants to be there. Attendance would rise, recruits would come, and Siena would be the talk of the college basketball world.
Pitino loves the area. According to sources, he's turned down job offers because of where thery were located. Pitino's love for Saratoga is well documented and he was born in New York. He's thrived in the northeast his whole career...
Ego. Pitino's been a big fish in a little pond before and he seems to love to be loved. We live in a great college basketball town and coaches who have won here, are revered here. Siena's list of all time coaches include Paul Hewitt, Mike Deane, and Fran McCaffery. They're considered coaching legends and Pitino would join those ranks. He'd be wined, dined and loved; a little ego boost could go a long way.