Rick Pitino Confirms He Will Leave Iona For St. John's

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Rick Pitino will leave the Iona men's basketball program, returning to the spotlight of the Big East Conference where he made his name.

Pitino has confirmed that he has accepted the head coach job at St. John’s. The 70-year-old has spent the last three seasons at Iona after a fraught separation from the program at Louisville in 2017.

Pitino brought five different programs to the NCAA tournament, including two trips at Iona. He had a 64-22 record in his time with the Gaels and won both the MAAC regular season and tournament title this year, as well as in 2021.

Pitino brought Boston University to the NCAA tournament and Providence to the Final Four early in his career. He was also the coach of the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, but he is perhaps best remembered for his tenure at Kentucky and Louisville.

At Kentucky, Pitino reached the national national championship twice, winning it all once. He also reached the Final Four and Elite Eights twice. He won another national title at Louisville, where he spent 16 seasons.

Pitino’s storied career at Louisville ended in scandal amid the federal investigation into a player's family being paid for the player to attend the school. Pitino has always insisted he had nothing to do with the case and the NCAA publicly exonerated him.