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.
Can Rick Pitino become the Coach K of Puerto Rico?
Pitino is following in Coach K’s footsteps on the international stage after announcing Monday that he will coach the Puerto Rico national basketball team in preparation for a 2011 pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.
Pitino will coach the national team in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship basketball tournament to be played in Mar del Plata, Argentina on Aug. 25-Sept. 8, 2011, at the 8,000-seat Polideportivo Islas Malvinas. Puerto Rico must finish among the top two teams to advance to the 2012 Olympics in London.
“I’m deeply honored to be coaching the Puerto Rico national team,” said Pitino. “I know their backs are against the wall in needing to finish among the top two in a 10-team tournament to qualify for the Olympics, and that’s probably what attracted me the most. That’s when competitive people rise to the occasion. The more they talked about the pride and passion among their players and country, the more I became interested. I wanted the experience to benefit the University of Louisville as well. The timing works out perfectly so as not to conflict with our responsibilities at U of L.”
Ten teams will participate in the FIBA Americas Championship including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Since the USA has already qualified for the 2012 Olympics by winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship, it could withdraw from the tournament and open a wildcard spot.
Three current NBA players are members of the Puerto Rico team, including Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea, Miami Heat guard Carlos Arroyo and Denver Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman.
Puerto Rico last qualified for the Olympics in 2004, beating the United States on its way to a sixth-place finish. It did not qualify for the 2000 or 2008 Olympics.
(Louisville Athletics contributed story and photo)
And like ZAGS on Facebook.
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.
Can Rick Pitino become the Coach K of Puerto Rico?
Pitino is following in Coach K’s footsteps on the international stage after announcing Monday that he will coach the Puerto Rico national basketball team in preparation for a 2011 pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.
Pitino will coach the national team in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship basketball tournament to be played in Mar del Plata, Argentina on Aug. 25-Sept. 8, 2011, at the 8,000-seat Polideportivo Islas Malvinas. Puerto Rico must finish among the top two teams to advance to the 2012 Olympics in London.
“I’m deeply honored to be coaching the Puerto Rico national team,” said Pitino. “I know their backs are against the wall in needing to finish among the top two in a 10-team tournament to qualify for the Olympics, and that’s probably what attracted me the most. That’s when competitive people rise to the occasion. The more they talked about the pride and passion among their players and country, the more I became interested. I wanted the experience to benefit the University of Louisville as well. The timing works out perfectly so as not to conflict with our responsibilities at U of L.”
Ten teams will participate in the FIBA Americas Championship including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Since the USA has already qualified for the 2012 Olympics by winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship, it could withdraw from the tournament and open a wildcard spot.
Three current NBA players are members of the Puerto Rico team, including Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea, Miami Heat guard Carlos Arroyo and Denver Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman.
Puerto Rico last qualified for the Olympics in 2004, beating the United States on its way to a sixth-place finish. It did not qualify for the 2000 or 2008 Olympics.
(Louisville Athletics contributed story and photo)
And like ZAGS on Facebook.
