Former PC Coach Pitino Advances to Greek Cup Finals After Opponent Quit at Halftime
Saturday, February 16, 2019
GoLocalProv Sports Team
Former Providence College head coach Rick Pitino, and his Greek team Panathinaikos, are advancing to the Greek Cup finals after their semi-final opponent Olympiakos quit at halftime.
“Well in 42 years of coaching, I thought I had seen it all. Up 15 at halftime. Motivating my team to come out with great intensity in the first five minutes. We were fired up except Olympiakos never came back out. Game over. Onto the Greek Cup finals in Crete on Sunday,” said Pitino in a tweet.
Olympiakos is coached by former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt.
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Despite leading 40-25 at halftime, Panathinaikos officially won the game 20-0, per the forfeit rules and will face PAOK in the finals.
According to EuroHoops, Olympiacos quit due to officiating.
“We have seen it many times. We are disgusted and enough is enough. We should have left earlier. The Greek state needs to take measures to clean this filth,” Olympiakos general manager Christos Stavropoulos told the media, according to Reuters.
Pitino’s Career
Pitino is advancing to the Greek Cup Final in his first season as head coach of Panathinaikos.
This comes about two years after he was fired from Louisville following a federal investigation for fraud and corruption in recruiting.
Pitino was one of Providence College's greatest coaches, leading the Friars to the 1987 Final Four.
As GoLocalProv reported, Pitino was among the candidates considered for the URI coaching job after Dan Hurley left for UConn.
As GoLocal wrote, "The University of Rhode Island Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn had come to a rough agreement in principle with Rick Pitino to succeed Dan Hurley as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University late last week. According to multiple sources, the deal would have paid the embattled Hall of Fame Coach Pitino $2 million a year."
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