Monday, January 08, 2001
Pitino expects to resurface in college ranks
Celtics coach will step down today, reports say
Enquirer news services
WALTHAM, Mass. — Rick Pitino took a day off Sunday amid reports he has agreed to leave as coach of the Boston Celtics.
Three newspapers — The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Providence Journal — said Pitinoalready has decided to step down. ESPN.com said Pitino told the network's David Aldridge that he would not attend a news conference, but that an announcement from the team was imminent. The site reported that Pitino would like to stay in the NBA, but expects to finish his coaching career in the college ranks. Pitino said no colleges have called him.
A 112-86 loss to Miami on Saturday night, the Celtics' 11th in 14 games, may have convinced Pitino to quit. He gave Paul Pierce a hug as he came out of the game, and spoke afterward as if his mind were made up.
“Sometimes change is good just for the sake of change when things aren't going well,” he told the Herald. “It's heartbreaking to me, what's happened here. I love the Boston Celtics and I'll always be a fan.
“This organization has treated me like royalty since I came here. But you know, I've been going at this pretty hard now for 3 1/2 years and I haven't seen many results.”
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Pitino expects to resurface in college ranks