Monday, March 05, 2001
Pitino wants Louisville job
Web report says he'll turn down UNLV
Rick Pitino wants to coach at the University of Louisville and will turn down a five-year, $8.5 million contract offer from UNLV, according to CBS SportsLine.com.
The former University of Kentucky coach is extremely interested in U of L now that Denny Crum has announced his retirement.
“He's 95 percent there with Louisville,” CBS SportsLine.com. quoted an unnamed source close to Pitino.
Pitino said Sunday that he wants to get back into college coaching. He attended Florida's 94-86 victory over Kentucky in Gainesville —
the first college game he had seen live since last year's Final Four — and he said it made him realize how much he missed it.
“I plan on coaching at the collegiate level someday again,” he said. “When that will be, I don't know.”
He dodged questions about the Lousiville job.
“I didn't even know it had opened until Denny announced his retirement, so it hasn't piqued my interest at all,” Pitino said. “I really haven't thought about it, to tell the truth.”
That's not the case with the UNLV job. He has been involved in a long courting process with the president and athletic director at the Las Vegas school. Most recently, his wife visited the city, and Pitino said she enjoyed the trip.
Sports Stories
Dayton 65, Xavier 62
Chalmers can't repeat winning shot
Atlantic 10 tournament preview
Atlantic 10 tournament schedule
Xavier women make tourney finals
Atlantic 10 women's tournament schedule
Conference USA tournament preview
Conference USA tournament schedule
UC women make tourney finals
Conference USA women's tournament schedule
DAUGHERTY: Baseball salaries all about ego
Sullivan's conditioning pays off
Boone pleased by early progress
Bell gets $252M strikeout
DE Wiley eschews Bengals for San Diego
Pitino wants Louisville job
