LEXINGTON, Ky. — He waited for the all the cheers and applause to die down. He waited to gather his thoughts. Then, he spoke.
A visibly emotional Rick Pitino, back at Rupp Arena donned in Kentucky blue for the first time in decades, was a fitting finale Friday night to a Big Blue Madness event that honored the greatness of college basketball’s winningest program.
‘I am so happy to be back,’ Pitino said after grabbing a microphone. ‘I said, ‘Before I pack it in in coaching, I want to go back to Camelot for one more time.’ There’s no way I could return better. This is one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time, because I visit all my players. I visit the fans that made me happy for every single day for eight years.’
His triumphant return was in large part due to one of his former players: Mark Pope, a team captain of the 1995-96 club that — under Pitino’s watchful eye — captured the Wildcats’ sixth national championship, is entering his first season as UK’s coach.
‘We get to root for a gentleman that — there have been a lot of great coaches here, a lot of great ones,’ Pitino said, ‘but we get to root for someone that made Kentucky what he’s all about. It’s not about Pope. It’s not about Pope. You’ll never hear him say (it’s about him).’
That Pitino was in Lexington was no secret: Earlier this week, he confirmed rumors he’d attend Saturday’s football game between Kentucky and Vanderbilt at Kroger Field. It was widely speculated that appearance at the football would come on the heels of a Big Blue Madness sighting. Yet it never was officially announced — by Pitino, Pope or anyone else — whether the former coach would be in the building Friday night. Moments before he took the floor alongside other members of UK’s eight national championship squads, however, he was spotted in a tunnel at Rupp Arena.
As soon as he trotted onto the court, clad in a blue quarter-zip sweater notably featuring Kentucky’s interlocking ‘UK’ logo (in white), Pitino received the largest ovation on a night where they weren’t in short supply. Not with Pope on hand. Or in-state heroes Trent Noah and Travis Perry, already fan favorites as freshmen despite the fact they’ve yet to play a game for the Wildcats.
Yet Pitino’s reception outshined them all.
Despite wanting to shift the attention away from himself.
‘(He’s) the most selfless, humble young man I’ve ever coached in my lifetime,’ Pitino said, referring to Pope. ‘One of the great, great examples of what Kentucky basketball is all about. Mark Pope is going to lead you to greatness in every sense of the word.’
Of course, Pitino himself is still going strong.
He’s entering his second season as head coach at St. John’s.
Everywhere he’s been as a college coach, success has followed.
In 36 seasons at the college level, Pitino has an on-court record of 854-306 (.736) during stints at Hawaii, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona and St. John’s. Pitino’s record, per the NCAA, is 731-303 after he was forced to vacate 123 victories during his time at Louisville, which included a national title in 2013 and a Final Four appearance in 2012.
Nowhere does he cast a larger shadow than in Lexington, however.
He guided the Wildcats for eight seasons (1989-90 through 1996-97), compiling a 219-50 (81.4%) record, taking a program that was within inches of the NCAA’s death penalty and delivering it back to prominence almost immediately. UK was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons. In the six seasons the Wildcats were eligible, however, Pitino piloted them to the Elite Eight, or better, five times. That included a national championship in 1996, a national runner-up in 1997 and another Final Four in 1993.
Pope never shies away from an opportunity to praise Pitino.
Though UK’s newest coach kept his comments on his mentor brief Friday, Pope made it clear how much Pitino means to him earlier this year.
‘Every coach that has coached here has done amazing things, contributed to Big Blue Nation, but Coach Pitino changed me,’ Pope said during his introductory press conference in April. ‘And I will tell you, like, he changed me to my soul, changed my DNA as a human being. He allowed me to be someone who feels they can walk into any room and take on any impossible task.
‘And I will love him forever.’
This story was updated to add new information.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.