Rick Pitino watches Minnesota win wild game against Alabama, says he’s ‘living vicariously’ through his son

NEW YORK — Rick Pitino is just a self-proclaimed basketball “cheerleader” now and says he’s “living vicariously” through his son Richard Pitino, the Minnesota coach.

The elder Pitino, who was fired last month by Louisville in the wake of the FBI investigation into bribery in college basketball, sat several rows behind the Minnesota bench for the Gophers’ wild 89-84 victory over Alabama in the Barclays Center Classic that ended with Alabama playing 3-on-5.

“I’m a cheerleader so I just root for him every possession,” the elder Pitino, 65, said at halftime before Minnesota point guard Nate Mason and later the entire Alabama bench were ejected. “For me, being out of work, I’m living vicariously through him.”