Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Could Rick Pitino be headed back to the NBA?
A Yahoo! Sports report by Adrian Wojnarowski says “multiple sources” indicate Pitino is a candidate for the Sacramento Kings gig. Woj cites “several NCAA and NBA sources” who say Pitino has spoken with at least one member of the Maloof family.
“I think he’s a great coach and he’s done an unbelievable job at Louisville,” Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof told Yahoo! Sports. “But we haven’t talked to him.”
A Louisville spokesman told the Louisville Courier-Journal that Pitino had no plans to leave the team.
The Kings are reportedly considering several candidates, including former Rutgers standout and Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.Paul Westphal and Mike Fratello are also reportedly candidates.
Pitino twice led the Knicks to the playoffs and later had an unsuccessful tenure as GM of the Celtics.
His offseason has been a rough one.
Louisville was a favorite to reach the Final Four but lost to Michigan State in the regional final.
Most recently, Kim Sypher, the wife of a Louisville basketball staff member, tried to extort money from Pitino, who ultimately notified the FBI. Sypher was arrested and charged April 24.
Also this offseason, Richard Pitino, Rick’s son, left the Louisville staff to work under Billy Donovan at Florida. Jeremy Tyler, considered the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, announced he would not attend Louisville in two years so that he could play professionally in Europe instead.
RUTGERS TO VISIT SPAINRutgers will travel to Spain and the Canary Islands from May 23-31 to play four games against foreign club teams.
“To provide our student-athletes a meaningful cultural experience through the vehicle of basketball is very exciting,” said Rutgers head coach Fred Hill. “It’s a unique opportunity to grow educationally while building unity. We look forward to competing hard and learning about another part of the world.”
The Scarlet Knights will depart New York for Madrid the evening of May 23 and spend a few days in Spain’s capital city before flying to Gran Canaria, an archipelago of Spain located just off the Northwest coast of mainland Africa.
In the Canary Islands, Rutgers will stay in the south coast town of Maspalomas, where it will play four evening games in a span of four days.
One of those teams is the Canary Basketball Academy, a highly respected basketball program that will send two players to Fordham next year.
This should be a good chance for Rutgers, which finished 2-16 in the Big East a year ago, to jell during the offseason and find some team chemistry.
Some role players such as Corey Chandler, Earl Pettis and Mike Coburn will probably play more and earn a shot to win the point guard job should the mercurial James Beatty opt to go somewhere else.
It will be a busy summer of travel for shooting guard Mike Rosario, who will also play for Puerto Rico this summer in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship for Men in Auckland, New Zealand. Sixteen countries will compete in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship that will be held July 2-12.
Rosario will team up with Fordham point guard and former St. Anthony teammateJio Fontan for that event.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Could Rick Pitino be headed back to the NBA?
A Yahoo! Sports report by Adrian Wojnarowski says “multiple sources” indicate Pitino is a candidate for the Sacramento Kings gig. Woj cites “several NCAA and NBA sources” who say Pitino has spoken with at least one member of the Maloof family.
“I think he’s a great coach and he’s done an unbelievable job at Louisville,” Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof told Yahoo! Sports. “But we haven’t talked to him.”
A Louisville spokesman told the Louisville Courier-Journal that Pitino had no plans to leave the team.
The Kings are reportedly considering several candidates, including former Rutgers standout and Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.
Paul Westphal and Mike Fratello are also reportedly candidates.
Pitino twice led the Knicks to the playoffs and later had an unsuccessful tenure as GM of the Celtics.
His offseason has been a rough one.
Louisville was a favorite to reach the Final Four but lost to Michigan State in the regional final.
Most recently, Kim Sypher, the wife of a Louisville basketball staff member, tried to extort money from Pitino, who ultimately notified the FBI. Sypher was arrested and charged April 24.
Also this offseason, Richard Pitino, Rick’s son, left the Louisville staff to work under Billy Donovan at Florida. Jeremy Tyler, considered the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, announced he would not attend Louisville in two years so that he could play professionally in Europe instead.
RUTGERS TO VISIT SPAIN
Rutgers will travel to Spain and the Canary Islands from May 23-31 to play four games against foreign club teams.
“To provide our student-athletes a meaningful cultural experience through the vehicle of basketball is very exciting,” said Rutgers head coach Fred Hill. “It’s a unique opportunity to grow educationally while building unity. We look forward to competing hard and learning about another part of the world.”
The Scarlet Knights will depart New York for Madrid the evening of May 23 and spend a few days in Spain’s capital city before flying to Gran Canaria, an archipelago of Spain located just off the Northwest coast of mainland Africa.
In the Canary Islands, Rutgers will stay in the south coast town of Maspalomas, where it will play four evening games in a span of four days.
One of those teams is the Canary Basketball Academy, a highly respected basketball program that will send two players to Fordham next year.
This should be a good chance for Rutgers, which finished 2-16 in the Big East a year ago, to jell during the offseason and find some team chemistry.
Some role players such as Corey Chandler, Earl Pettis and Mike Coburn will probably play more and earn a shot to win the point guard job should the mercurial James Beatty opt to go somewhere else.
It will be a busy summer of travel for shooting guard Mike Rosario, who will also play for Puerto Rico this summer in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship for Men in Auckland, New Zealand. Sixteen countries will compete in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship that will be held July 2-12.
Rosario will team up with Fordham point guard and former St. Anthony teammate Jio Fontan for that event.
