The current Louisville Basketball Coach is Rick Pitino, who is considered one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time.
Rick Pitino started his head coaching career at Boston University as their head coach in 1978. Pitino later went on to become the head coach at Providence University in 1985. After this, he made a quick stop as a head coach in the NBA for the New York Knicks.
After a short stint with the Knicks, he returned to the college ranks in 1989 and took over one of the most storied college basketball programs in the country, The University of Kentucky. At Kentucky, is when Pitino really became to make a name for himself as an elite coach in the college ranks.
After a very successful stint with Kentucky, Pitino tried his luck in the NBA again and became head coach of the Boston Celtics, signing a contract at the time that was most expensive for any head coach in the history of the NBA.
After 4 unsuccessful seasons, he once again returned to the college basketball landscape. He returned to his home state, however, this time becoming the Louisville Basketball Coach. Pitino has been at this position since 2001 enjoying much success in this position.
Pitino’s resume speaks for itself; however on this resume he has something that no other college coach can claim. During Pitino’s numerous college stints, he took three teams (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to the Final Four.
He is the only coach to ever have accomplished this feat. During his college coaching career he has a winning percentage of over 73% which puts him at 10th among all active coaches.
Pitino is well known for his ability to turn around struggling programs and lead them in the direction to national prominence. When Pitino started in 1978 at Boston University the team was coming off a 11 win season, Pitino was able to turn them around and lead them to the NCAA tournament the following season.
Pitino took Providence to a Final Four in his second season, two years removed from a 11 win season. Pitino did the same thing for Kentucky which was coming off a recruiting scandal which damaged the program, however, Pitino returned to the final four in 1993 with this resurgent Kentucky team
Pitino became the Louisville Basketball Coach replacing NCAA Hall of Famer Denny Crum. Louisville was coming off a 11-20 season and missed the NCAA Tournament.
Since then, Pitino has turned Louisville into a perennial Top 10 team, including a trip to the Final Four in 2005, which was the school first since 1986.
Pitino has left a lasting legacy on college basketball, not just as the Louisville Basketball Coach but also as an innovator to the style of college, as some will say that he was the first coach to incorporate the three-point shot effectively into the college ranks. Pitino will always rank as one of the best coaches to ever walk the baseline in NCAA history.
Return from Louisville Basketball Coach to Basketball Coaches
Return from Louisville Basketball Coach to Best Basketball Tips