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Not quite as fast as a New York minute but …
Rick Pitino told ESPN’s Pat Forde today there’s no substance to the rumor that he’s interested in coaching the New Jersey Nets.
“There’s not an ounce of truth to it. I have no interest, period. I’m done with coaching professional basketball. I’ve put the professional ranks behind me.”
If that’s the case, someone in the Nets’ organization was lying about Pitino expressing interest … or the Nets weren’t interested.
Record time for putting a coaching rumor to rest.
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After the loss to St. John’s tonight– Pitino must be feeling angry and upset. He can’t control the media – I just wish he could drum up more wins…
Good stuff, Steve. I think these guys must have a class they attend to get the lingo down. A straight answer would be nice for a change.
Sounds like Pitino is taking a page out of Nick Saban’s book — when Saban denied any truth to coaching Alabama when he was the Miami Dolphins coach.
Ironically, here’s what Pat Forde wrote in an article on the Saban issue:
The Miami Dolphins coach denied being interested in or a candidate for the job at Alabama so many times we all lost count. But we weren’t naive enough to believe him — and Wednesday proved why. He’s fundamentally unbelievable.
Obviously, telling the truth potentially can create some sticky situations. But this would be my suggested sample comment for a coach being sought for a job other than the one he now has:
“Although I love the position I currently hold, I am a candidate for job X. I will not discuss it further until there is something tangible, be it an interview or an offer, to discuss. Goodbye.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2718798