March 2018 Basketball Wiretap

Rick Pitino: EuroLeague Atmosphere Reminds Him Of Kentucky

Dec 29, 2018 9:18 PM

Rick Pitino won his EuroLeague debut with Panathinaikos, beating CSKA Moscow 96-84.

Of the atmosphere in Athens, Pitino said, "it reminded me of Kentucky...and that's the highest compliment I give any crowd. Because I've always felt that in Kentucky basketball is a religion, and the fans tonight motivated us to play that type of defense."

Pitino, whose eventual goal is to coach back in the NBA, had a viral moment after yelling at his players during a timeout. 

"My message to them was that, in watching five films, you can't win playing the type of defense that you're playing. The second thing I told them is, 'Everybody says you guys can't shoot. That's not true' -- I put them through some shooting drills. I said, 'You guys can shoot, the problem is you can't pass.' I said, 'Because you're averaging 13 assists per game and four guys are watching one. If you get ball movement and you constantly pass the basketball, you'll outshoot [your opponents] from the 3-point line".

ESPN

Tags: Panathinaikos, International, International Teams, International B-Ball IQ

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Rick Pitino Agrees To Become Head Coach Of Panathinaikos

Dec 20, 2018 2:38 PM

Rick Pitino has agreed to coach Panathinaikos of Greece for the remainder of the season.

Pitino's goal is to return to the NBA as a head coach.

Panathinaikos is expected to part ways with its coach Xavi Pascual to clear the way for Pitino

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Tags: Panathinaikos, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, International, International Teams

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