Pitino

["Rosensteel, Dennis (GEIS)" <Dennis.Rosensteel@geis.ge.com>]

	WBZ-TV in Boston is reporting that Pitino has agreed to a
10-year contract to become coach and director of basketball operations
of the Celtics. The official announcement is expected on Tuesday. Pitino
met with his players Sunday night and is scheduled to meet with Kentucky
athletic director C.M. Newton on Tuesday "We will get together on
Tuesday," Newton told ESPN Radio. "I hope the matter will be resolved
after that. I think the Celtics are the one team ... You have to
understand, Rick is a basketball purist and traditionalist. It was one
of the reasons we got him from the Knicks. "I think the challenge
appeals to him, just like this one did. He has a real career decision to
make. It's probably the only job that piques his interest." WHAS Radio
in Louisville reported that Pitino had spoken with Celtics special
assistant Larry Bird more than once about coaching the Celtics, who need
a major overhaul. The Boston Globe reported that Bird made the call to
Pitino during the season at the request of Celtics chairman Paul Gaston
to see if he would have "interest in the (Celtics) job down the road."
Pitino declined a lucrative offer to return to the NBA as coach and
director of operations of the New Jersey Nets after leading Kentucky to
the national championship in 1996. The offer included part ownership of
the franchise as well as control of player personnel. Pitino has coached
at Kentucky for the last eight years. He previously served as an NBA
coach with the New York Knicks, where he had a 90-74 record in two
years. New York finished 24-58 in 1986-87 and improved to 38-44 the
following season in Pitino's first year. The Knicks went 52-30 under
Pitino in 1988-89. But philosophical differences with general manager Al
Bianchi caused Pitino to leave the Knicks and he accepted the Kentucky
job in 1989.




___________________________________________________________
Dennis Rosensteel
GE Information Services
401 N. Washington St.
Rockville, MD 20850
(301)340-4765  8*273-4765
dennis.rosensteel@geis.ge.com