Estimated read time: Less than a minute
NEW YORK — Standing in the middle of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, confetti sticking to his suit, Rick Pitino was asked about his remarkable basketball odyssey and latest Big East championship. The 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach said he saved the best for last, bringing a March Madness roar from thousands of St. John's fans hanging on his every word. In that merry moment of pride and joy, at the center of a nationally televised New York City coronation, it was almost easy to forget that five years ago Pitino was coaching in Greece — exiled from college athletics following multiple scandals at Louisville. Pitino takes his record sixth school into the NCAA Tournament when the second-seeded Red Storm play No. 15 seed Omaha on Thursday night.
