LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If Iona College was looking for national publicity when the school recruited Rick Pitino as its new basketball coach, it is working.
Pitino appeared on the Dan Patrick Radio Show on Monday morning and dropped these notes of interest:
*Kentucky coach John Calipari called to congratulate him on landing the job after nearly three seasons on the sidelines of college basketball.
*He wants to play Kentucky in the Jimmy V Classic In Madison Square Garden.
"I would love to schedule Kentucky in the Garden in the Jimmy V Classic,” Pitino told Patrick. “I think that would be a great draw and that would be exciting to see, and I hope John (Calipari) would entertain that."
*He has no interest in playing Louisville (not that Louisville would have interest in playing him, for the record).
"No," Pitino said. "How quick was that answer?"
Pitino also said that two other schools that had his attention (if the jobs opened) were Providence and Holy Cross. He coached at Providence from 1985-87. But he said Iona was a perfect fit because of his affinity for the New York City area.
"I can't tell you how happy I am,” he said. “I’m beyond happy, because it’s going home. It’s 25 minutes from my apartment in New York City. It's 10 minutes from my son (Ryan) in Harrison, New York. So for me, it's a dream come true. It’s a great way to end a career, and I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
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