Rick Pitino returns to college as Iona coach
Rick Pitino is returning to college basketball as the next head coach at Iona, the school announced Saturday.
Iona coach Tim Cluess announced Friday that he is stepping down after 10 seasons with the Gaels due to health reasons. Cluess won either the regular-season or conference tournament championship every season from 2012 to 2019 before missing this past season with an undisclosed health issue.
"I am delighted to welcome Rick Pitino to Gael Nation," Iona Director of Athletics Matthew Glovaski said in a statement. "Rick is a Hall of Fame coach who has won at the highest levels and he is committed to leading our student-athletes and our program to national prominence. He brings passion and energy and shares our desire to build a winning program that will make our community proud."
Pitino hasn't coached in college since October 2017, when Louisville fired him following an FBI investigation into college basketball. No one from the Cardinals was arrested, but they were linked to the investigation through allegations that Adidas paid $100,000 to the family of five-star prospect Brian Bowen to steer him to Louisville. Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich were placed on unpaid administrative leave and then fired for cause.
The NCAA has not announced its penalties for any of the programs connected to the FBI investigation, but the expectation is they could come down sometime this spring or summer. It's unclear whether there will be any penalties handed down to Pitino.
"My passion in basketball started in New York and will end there at Iona College," Pitino said in Saturday's statement. "Tim Cluess has done a spectacular job creating success and a winning spirit. I wish Tim a speedy recovery and Iona will always cherish his accomplishments. At Iona, I will work with the same passion, hunger and drive that I've had for over forty years. There is a real professionalism in how things are run here and this is a very tight, strong community. The priority in New Rochelle right now is helping students continue their education online in light of the coronavirus and I very much look forward to the day when the community is back on campus and to get to work on further elevating this strong program."
Pitino has won two national championships in college, in 1996 and 2013 -- although the latter was later vacated by the NCAA -- and been to seven Final Fours. He's the only coach to win an NCAA Division I men's basketball title at two different schools.
Pitino also spent several seasons coaching in the NBA with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. He was hired in December 2018 by Panathinaikos in Greece, winning a Greek Cup and the Greek Basket League championship.
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