Rick Pitino confirmed on Tuesday that he will return to Kentucky this weekend. “Yes, I will be flying in for the UK/Vandy game on Saturday. I’ll be on the sidelines helping Coach Stoops,” Pitino posted on X (formerly Twitter), ending with a wink emoji.
Pitino is entering his second season as the head basketball coach at St. John’s but is best known for his successful eight-season run at Kentucky from 1989-1997. During his time with the Wildcats, he compiled a 219-50 record (81.4%), transforming the program after it narrowly avoided the NCAA’s death penalty. Under his leadership, Kentucky reached the Elite Eight or better five times, won a national championship in 1996, finished as runner-up in 1997, and made another Final Four in 1993.
Mark Pope, a captain on Kentucky’s 1996 championship team and now the Wildcats’ first-year head coach, expressed excitement about Pitino’s return. While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, rumors suggest Pitino might also attend Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness event on Friday.
Pope shared his enthusiasm about Pitino visiting practice: “Coach Pitino reached out a week ago, and he kind of asked — but really told me — that he was coming to practice. I told the coaching staff, ‘Guys, you’re going to have to carry the day. This is my guy, Coach P.'”
Across his 36-year coaching career, Pitino holds an 854-306 on-court record, having coached at Hawaii, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, and now St. John’s. However, the NCAA officially recognizes his record as 731-303 after vacating 123 wins from his time at Louisville, which included the 2013 national championship and a 2012 Final Four appearance.
