Coaches know to cover their mouths when speaking to their team to prevent others from spotting their plays, but Hall of Famer Rick Pitino just learned that you can’t let your guard down even when you’re off the clock.
John’s was speaking on the sidelines before the Knicks’ first-round Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Pitino was giving the man next to him his contact information when a camera showing the celebrity landed on him. I lingered on it for a while, and the clip was shared online.
This, unfortunately for Pitino’s inbox, led to lip-readers discovering his phone number.
Pitino tweeted about the incident on Monday. He kept a positive attitude and even joked about how it could help him recruit.
“Yesterday I was enjoying a Knicks game when someone read my lips on TV and gave out my phone number. Over 300 messages came in – here’s the weird news, 95% were good positive. I got 7 new recruits applied. My new cell…..” he wrote Betino.
Pitino has coached seven NCAA Final Four teams, winning two national titles with Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013). He had started three new seasons with Iona – two where he took over Gaelic dancing – when he accepted the St John’s job in March.
St. John’s is in need of a rebuild with only three scholarships from last season still on the list. The program has only made the NCAA Tournament three times in the past two decades, and the Red Storm haven’t won a game in the Big Dance since 2000. Pitino, USA TODAY Former Knicks coachHe has a great resume and is a native of New York, so it’s probably safe to say that offering him a six-year contract to assist the program was the right call.