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Rick Pitino Shoots Down UNLV Rumors, Says He’s Had No Discussions With University
“I, nor my agent, haven’t had any discussions with UNLV about coaching there,” Pitino said
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Former Louisville head coach Pitino denies involvement with UNLV
Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino told Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he, nor his agent, have had any contact with UNLV about a head coaching opportunity.
https://twitter.com/edgraney/status/1099080983897300993
Pitino, 66, is currently the head coach of Panathinaikos B.C., a professional team located in Athens, Greece. He was ousted from his position as the Louisville head coach last year after a federal investigation involving recruiting bribery surfaced. The Naismith Hall of Fame coach won national championships at Kentucky and Louisville (which was vacated due to a sex scandal involving recruits). Pitino has an all-time D-I head coaching record of 770-271.
Rumors had swirled earlier this month about Pitino’s interest in UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels are fifth in the Mountain West with a 15-11 (9-5) record. Marvin Menzies is 46-45 in his 101 games as the UNLV head coach after coming over from New Mexico State, where he took the Aggies to five NCA Tournaments in nine years.
The university has yet to make a public announcement about Menzies’ status for next season and beyond.
Eli Boettger is the lead basketball writer at Mountain West Wire. He’s covered Mountain West basketball since 2015 and his work has been featured on Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and other platforms. Boettger is a current USBWA member.
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