If Georgia wants to put itself on the college basketball map, reaching for former Louisville coach Rick Pitino would be one way to do it. His name is being mentioned for the Bulldogs job that became vacant on Saturday with the dismissal of Mark Fox, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams.
While Pitino’s success on the court speaks for itself, this could be seen as an extremely risky hire after he was fired from Louisville due to, among many things, the payment of recruits and hiring of prostitutes to entertain prospects. Pitino has vehemently fought against the allegations for his firing that occurred in October 2017 after a unanimous vote by the school’s board of directors.
Considering how close it is to his ouster and the scandal, Georgia would probably take a big public relations hit if Pitino was hired, but the program would gain a coach that has led two teams (Kentucky and Louisville) to national titles and three schools (Providence) to the Final Four.
Tom Crean, who sat out the past year after being fired from Indiana in 2017, has also expressed interest in the position. He led Marquette to the 2003 Final Four and the Hoosiers to three Sweet 16 appearances.