The Louisville men's basketball coach vehemently denied a report that said he had expressed interest in the New Jersey Nets' head-coaching position.
"There's not an ounce of truth to it," Pitino told ESPN.com. "I have no interest, period. I'm done with coaching professional basketball. I've put the professional ranks behind me."
The original report was released by the New York Daily News, which claimed "sources close to Pitino said that the Louisville coach has reached out to Nets brass in recent days, making himself a candidate for the job now held by GM and interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe."
Specifically, the report said that Pitino had intermediaries contact Nets president Rod Thorn, though a source close to Thorn denied that report to the Daily News. An anonymous, "high-ranking" team official told the Daily News that all the interest is coming from Pitino, not the team.
Both ESPN and the Daily News are reporting that Pitino spoke with Thorn earlier in the week at the funeral of Knicks Hall of Famer Dick McGuire, though not about the Nets job.
Pitino's credibility has come into question in the past year after he admitted last August to having an affair with a woman in 2003. Though the woman had been previously accused of extortion, Pitino came under fire for violating the university's standards, which dictate employees would be fired for "acts of moral depravity."
A successful coach at Louisville, it may not be hard to believe Pitino when he says he has no interest in returning to the NBA. In his last professional job, he led the Celtics to a 102-146 record before resigning in the middle of the 2000-01 season. He had previously found success as head coach of the Knicks in the late '80s.
