Legendary college and NBA basketball coach Rick Pitino has found himself a new home, signing to become the coach of Greece’s men’s national basketball team as they look to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Ranked as the seventh-best national team in the FIBA World Rankings, the Greek team will look to secure a spot to play for Olympic glory in Tokyo during a qualification tournament that will take place June 23rd through 28th.
Pitino has been tasked with leading the team through the gauntlet of qualification in hopes of giving the team of shot at making noise with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo playing for the national team at the peak of his powers.
It’s not a surprise that Pitino, formerly the coach of the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky, and the Boston Celtics, would choose to take on this gig. His last coaching job was with Greek team Panathinaikos last season, where he led the club to a Greek Basketball Cup win.
He was offered the chance to continue with the club after the end of last season, but turned it down in order to pursue an NBA job.
Pitino hasn’t gotten a chance to return to the NBA yet, but his new gig at the helm of Greece’s team will give him an exciting and new chance to earn more hardware.
