Georgia Basketball: Why UGA should pass on Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach, but that doesn’t mean that he’s the right fit for Georgia Basketball.

In some ways, this could be the perfect hire. Rick Pitino is one of the greatest college basketball coaches in history.  The guy returned Kentucky and Louisville to their rightful place as premier programs in the basketball landscape and he won. A lot. He has been to the Final Four seven times and won two national championships. This is one of the most recognisable coaches in all of college sports. When reports start being put out that he’s interested in coming to Georgia, it get’s Dawg fans excited.

Unfortunately, there is a pretty obvious downside to hiring Pitino. He was caught up in a prostitution scandal back in 2015 after 4 years of enticing prospects to Louisville through ‘sex-for-pay’. The NCAA no longer recognises one of those championships or two of those Final Four’s after the sordid details of that affair came out. Pitino was suspended for 5 games to start this season as a further punishment.

Then there is the most recent scandal. The FBI investigation that is sweeping college basketball right now started with Louisville. It began with the school’s relationship with Adidas and how the program used that to funnel money to top prospects. This scandal was too big for Pitino to dodge and so he was fired by Louisville two weeks later.

To be fair to Pitino, it has yet to be confirmed that he was responsible for the most recent scandal. It’s quite possible that these payments were being made without his knowledge, just like its possible that he was unaware of the previous issues. But to be honest, that seems very unlikely. It’s hard to believe a head coach is unaware of these things going on within their program.

Not UGA, not now.

While I understand the enticement of bringing Pitino to Athens, I really hope that it doesn’t happen. I don’t doubt that if he did come, he would turn UGA into a much better team. We would bring in top prospects and become a power in the SEC. But the cost for this is going to be a lot more than just his salary.

I’m not convinced that Pitino can be Pitino without the scandals. In 2009 he was blackmailed by the wife of his equipment manager after having an affair with her. The guy can’t stay out of the news or keep his nose clean and I don’t believe that this is a sacrifice that UGA should make simply to win.

Add in the fact that he’s 65 and it’s clear that this would not be a long-term hire. If Pitino works again, that school will be under scrutiny for the duration of his tenure. If the FBI probe finds evidence on him, that school could also find themselves under investigation or their new head coach banned.

He just isn’t worth it. He won big at blue-blooded programs, but UGA isn’t a blue blood. Would it be worth the ensuring scandal if Pitino brought a national championship to Athens? Maybe, but do we actually think he’s going to do that when even at the height of his powers, it took him 7 years to bring one to Kentucky?

Next: Time might not be on UGA's side

Look, I want UGA to hire a good basketball coach who can make this team better. Watching the SEC this year, it’s hard not to want a top coach to help us compete. Despite that, it’s even harder to argue in favour of hiring Pitino, even with all of his success. Wherever he lands, he’ll be a lot more trouble than he’s worth. Let’s just hope that it’s not Athens.