Former Kentucky and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has led his team to a championship in Greece.
Panathinaikos led 62-34 at the half and rolled to a 111-77 win over Promitheas Patras in the decisive game of the championship series.
What a year! Thx Panathinaikos players. Thx to my great staff. Thx to the fans for making me feel so special and thx to a great owner! pic.twitter.com/gDPr0kpQe2
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) June 14, 2019
Pitino talked about his coaching future after the game. Here is an excerpt from LEX18:
This was the team’s third consecutive league title and the 38th overall. It was the first for Coach Pitino. After the game he said he has to think about whether or not he’ll return to the team. “I’ll go to New York. I have it all planned, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday to speak to all my children. If I can get them on board, I will return. If I can’t get them on all on board, then I won’t. It’s very simple. We are a very strong family. Like the Greek families. It’s got to be one for all and all for one,” Pitino said in his post-game statements to Kostas Katevas of Cosmote TV.
Pitino proceeded to say that if he returns to Panathinaikos then there won’t be any college basketball for him anymore. “You have to understand is that if I come back, I give up college basketball forever. It could never happen because I couldn’t leave Panathinaikos for a college in March or April. If I come back, it’s Panathinaikos and then death.”
Here’s Pitino talking to the media after his team’s game 1 win earlier this week:
