Though Rick Pitino’s tenure as head coach of the Boston Celtics was rocky, he’s been Hall of Fame-good virtually everywhere else in his career, and he’s undoubtedly one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, regardless of level.
Pitino’s resurrected multiple college programs, most recently St. John’s, and it never takes him more than a year or two to do so. He’s been to seven Final Fours and won two national titles. The resumé is absurd.
But what makes a basketball mind like this tick? What continues to motivate a coach like Pitino to keep bringing 100 percent energy to the court day after day, for decades?
We might never know the specific answer to that question, but one way to gain insight into a coach is to hear from his players. That’s why it was fascinating to hear Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell — who played under Pitino for two years at Louisville — speak about the Hall of Fame coach recently.
When asked what his experience was like at Louisville, Mitchell’s response was head-turning.
Story continues below advertisement
“(Playing for Pitino was) the worst two years but the best two years of my life,” Mitchell said. “I was always a dog, I was always hungry, but there was another level (within me) … another button (to be pushed) … that man is the master of finding whatever that is, and pushing it.”
Mitchell also described how many of players transferred out of Louisville because they couldn’t handle Pitino’s intense coaching style.
Story continues below advertisement
For Mitchell, though, it was a coaching style that turned him from someone who wasn’t even considering the NBA into a college player who was establishing the roots to soon become a full-blown NBA superstar. The Pitino effect.
Featured image via Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports
