Rick Pitino Committed to Iona Despite Maryland's Rumored Interest in Head Coach

Iona head coach Rick Pitino removed himself from consideration for the Maryland head coaching vacancy Wednesday, saying he's committed to the Gaels program.

Pitino posted a statement on Twitter amid heavy speculation the Terrapins were making a strong push for him after Mark Turgeon stepped down in December:

Turgeon posted a 226-116 record across 10-plus seasons with the Terps, but he reached the conclusion it was time to step aside after "several in-depth conversations" with athletic director Damon Evans early in the 2021-22 campaign.

"I have always preached that Maryland Basketball is bigger than any one individual," Turgeon said. "My departure will enable a new voice to guide the team moving forward."

Danny Manning, a former college basketball standout at Kansas who previously led the Tulsa and Wake Forest programs, took over at Maryland on an interim basis after being hired as an assistant in April.

USC's Andy Enfield, Providence's Ed Cooley and St. Bonaventure's Mark Schmidt are among the other coaches linked to the Terps' vacancy.

Pitino is in his second year at Iona and is building a strong foundation with a 36-11 record, including a 16-2 mark in conference play this season to sit atop the MAAC standings.

It's his first NCAA coaching job since being fired by Louisville in 2017 amid a federal investigation into corruption within college basketball, which ultimately led to 10 arrests by the FBI. Pitino didn't face any criminal charges in the case.

The 69-year-old New York City native spent two seasons with Panathinaikos in Greece before returning stateside to lead the Iona staff.

Pitino owns an 806-282 career record at the NCAA level with stops at Hawai'i, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and now Iona. He's captured two national championships, the first with the Wildcats in 1996 and the second with the Cardinals in 2013, though the Cards later vacated the latter title.

His success at the highest levels of college basketball with Kentucky and Louisville is sure to garner continued interest from top programs, but he seems content with the Gaels.

In February, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog reported Pitino was in discussions with Iona about signing a potential lifetime contract.

For now, the UMass product is likely focused on trying to help the Gaels earn an NCAA tournament bid, which may require winning the MAAC tournament next week.