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Wednesday, March 21, 2001
Pitino timeline



Pitino's College Career
Year School Record
1978-79 Boston U. 17-9
1979-80 Boston U. 21-9
1980-81 Boston U. 13-14
1981-82 Boston U. 19-9
1982-83 Boston U. 21-10
1985-86 Providence 17-14
1986-87 Providence 25-9
1989-90 Kentucky 14-14
1990-91 Kentucky 22-6
1991-92 Kentucky 29-7
1992-93 Kentucky 30-4
1993-94 Kentucky 27-7
1994-95 Kentucky 28-5
1995-96 Kentucky 34-2
1996-97 Kentucky 35-5
Totals 15 yrs. 352-124
March 21: Rick Pitino accepts the University of Louisville head coaching position, returning the Bluegrass State to coach the Cardinals. Pitino replaces Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum, who retired following a 12-19 season.

March 20: Pitino tells the Detroit News that "some small-minded people" in Kentucky were making it difficult for him to take the Louisville coaching job. "If it wasn't that I coached at Kentucky, I would have taken the Louisville job last week," Pitino said. "Kentucky is a great state, but it has some small-minded people, and I have to take into consideration how my family will be treated there. If I decide not to go there, it will be the most difficult phone call I've ever had to make as a coach."

March 17: Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said he's interested in talking to Pitino about the school's coaching vacancy. Pitino said he has not spoken to Martin yet. "I've had some conversations with (Michigan) through another person," Pitino said. "And other than that, all I've done is read some of the comments from Bo Schembechler and I was really startled by them." The former Michigan football had been quoted as saying it would be a mistake for the university to pay its new basketball coach more than football coach Lloyd Carr.

March 15: Pitino returns to Dayton, Ohio to resume work with CBS at Midwest Regional. Continues color commentary for first- and second-round games.

Rick Pitino
Pitino obviously liked his tour of Louisville.
March 13: Jurich gives Pitino and his 18-year-old son Richard on a brief walking tour of campus after Pitino met for 30 minutes with Crum. Crum said the two discussed Louisville's current players and incoming recruits. "The reason I'm here is because of my love for Kentucky," Pitino said. "It just so happens that a premier university with a premier basketball program has a job that hasn't been open in 30 years and it just so happened to open right now. I'm honored to have the opportunity to look at this situation."

March 12: Pitino does color commentary for CBS at the NCAA Tournament play-in game in Dayton, Ohio. Tells ESPN.com's Andy Katz he'll tour the Louisville campus.

March 11-12: Pitino and Jurich meet in Miami to discuss the possibility of Pitino coaching at Louisville.

March 8: Louisville announces its wishes to meet with Pitino regarding the Cardinals' coaching vacancy. Athletic director Tom Jurich says that he is being "very calculated. He's a great fit here and I'm a big believer in trying to get this done. I want Plan A to work." For his part, Pitino says "It's something I would be interested in. How interested? I'm not sure."

March 4: UNLV officially ends its courtship of Pitino, saying Pitino "expressed the fact that he didn't feel he was a good fit for the UNLV men's basketball program."

Feb. 28: After his wife spent two days in Las Vegas being entertained by the unversity, Pitino is still adamant that he is not close to taking the job because of issues surrounding the program's NCAA probation. "This isn't a closed deal. The two scholarships left and a few other things aren't going away."

Feb. 23: It is reported that former Nevada governor Bob Miller played golf with Pitino in Miami and addressed several issues involved with Pitino taking the job at UNLV. "It was a good day, and at the end I got the impression that he was serious (about UNLV)." Pitino, meanwhile, denies that any offer has been made and reaffirms that he will not make any decision until the season is over.

Feb. 9: Pitino finally makes it to the west coast to meet with UNLV officials, talking with Cavagnaro and Harter in Los Angeles. No formal offer is made, but the university announces its intention to continue serious discussions with Pitino.

Jan. 23: Pitino states that the only jobs he would consider other than UNLV are Indiana and Louisville, should Denny Crum retire.

After the season, if anything opens up, I'll take a look at it. I figure this is will be my last job in coaching, and I want it to be the right one.
Rick Pitino on Jan. 21

Jan. 21: Pitino accepts a job with CBS as an analyst for the NCAA Tournament, putting off a decision on his future until the end of the tournament. "I'm not about to take any job right now. After the season, if anything opens up, I'll take a look at it. I figure this is will be my last job in coaching, and I want it to be the right one."

Jan. 17: UNLV athletic director Charles Cavagnaro flies to Florida. University president Carol Harter called the meeting "a sharing of ideas and philosophies rather than a negotiation of an immediate change in head coaches."

Jan. 15: Pitino puts off a trip to las Vegas to better weigh his options. "I'm not going to go out there until I'm more serious about it. I'm still interested, but I'm backing off a little bit."

Jan. 12: Pitino denies rumors that he has been offered the UNLV job, occupied by interim coach Max Good, but acknowledges that the school has expressed interest in his services. "They didn't make me an offer. I told them I need to know whether I have the ability to win there"

Jan. 10: Pitino denies that his talk with UCLA athletic director Pete Dalis means he is interested in replacing Steve Lavin as the head coach at UCLA. Pitino called Lavin to clear the air and assure Lavin that he was not interested in the job, as has been reported, and that Pitino's talk with Dalis had been "misinterpreted".

Jan. 8: Rick Pitino resigns as head coach and president of the Boston Celtics, leaving a team that was 12-22 and seriously struggling. Pitino says he and the players had a "major difference" philosophically. "The fundamentals weren't necessarily getting through. I love the guys on this team outside the lines. Between the lines we had differences. I've been going at this pretty hard for 3½ years and haven't seen many results."

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