St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino is one of the most accomplished college basketball coaches ever. With two NCAA Division I Tournament championships and seven Final Fours under his belt, Pitino is regarded by many as head and shoulders above the rest of this year’s field.
Before his time with the Red Storm, Pitino was head coach of the Cardinals in Louisville. The truth behind his exit may shock you.
Rick Pitino’s Shocking Exit From Louisville
Pitino started coaching as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii in 1974 before becoming a full-time assistant in 1975. In 1976, Pitino served as the Rainbow Warriors’ interim head coach after then-head coach Bruce O’Neil was fired, leading the team to a 2-4 record.
In 1976, Pitino joined Jim Boeheim’s staff in Syracuse as an assistant. He then became the head coach at Boston University in 1978, where he led the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 24 years.
In 1983, Pitino left the college game to become an assistant under Hubie Brown’s New York Knicks but returned to the college scene to head Providence in 1985. In 1987, Pitino returned to the Knicks as head coach before resigning in 1989 to take the head position at Kentucky.
Pitino led Kentucky to three Final Fours and a 1996 championship before returning to the NBA to coach the Boston Celtics. He resigned from Boston in 2001 to take over the Louisville program.
Pitino spent 16 years at Louisville, making three Final Fours, six Elite Eights, and winning the 2013 NCAA championship before it was all wiped away.
A 2017 investigation into “pay for play” involving recruits at Louisville led to Pitino being put on unpaid leave. The investigation centered on improper benefits given by Andre McGee, a former player and then Director of Basketball Operations, to prospective and former Louisville players.
Katina Powell, a self-described “madam,” alleged she had been paid several thousand dollars to provide women to dance and have sex with Cardinals players and recruits from 2010 to 2014. Powell claimed McGee paid her for the services.
Due to his failure to monitor McGee, Pitino was suspended by the ACC for the first five games of the 2017-18 season, before Louisville eventually fired him before the season started.
KEEP READING: Why Does Rick Pitino Wear a White Suit? The Story Behind His Iconic Look
The team vacated 123 wins, including the 2012 Final Four and 2013 national championship, the first-ever vacated title in NCAA men’s basketball history.
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