In three seasons at Iona, Rick Pitino has gone 57-21, leading the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament once and positioning them for a second this year. But Tony Kornheiser believes that there’s a wild landing spot out there for Pitino if he wants to take a step up.
Yesterday on Pardon The Interruption, Kornheiser made the case that Pitino should go to Notre Dame and replace Mike Brey after he departs following the season. He explained that Pitino is already a top five coach in the country who has taken three different schools to the Final Four.
Kornheiser also floated the idea that going to a Catholic school like Notre Dame would be ideal as they would be more likely to forgive him for his previous transgressions in the NCAA.
Failing to get the Notre Dame job, he speculated that St. John’s and Georgetown would be solid options for him as well.
Tony Kornheiser floats the extremely @SickosCBB possibility of Rick Pitino to Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/sZWxlR8I6t
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 24, 2023
There’s no question that Rick Pitino is the best coach outside of the Power Five. What he achieved with the likes of Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona made him into a legend.
It was widely believed that Pitino took the Iona job to rebuild his reputation in the league following the fallout of the scandals at Louisville that led to his ousting and subsequent years in college basketball exile.
Now that his reputation is largely restored, there really isn’t any job that he’s not qualified for.
Would Pitino be a good fit for Notre Dame? If not Notre Dame, then where?