Pitino Will Be Back at Providence, Says Timing Was Wrong for Knicks

Providence College Coach Rick Pitino will be back with the Friars next season, either with a new five-year contract or with his current contract that has two years remaining.

Pitino, who took the unheralded Friars to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Final Four in March, had been wooed by the National Basketball Assn.’s New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns, but he said Friday at a news conference that only the Knicks had expressed serious interest. Pitino, 34, had been an assistant with the Knicks.

He said that he met with the Knicks as recently as Tuesday but they were not ready to decide on a new head coach by Friday, his self-imposed deadline for making a decision.

“In no way did the New York Knicks sour on me, nor did I sour on them,” Pitino, a New York native, said. “The timing was just wrong for me for the Knicks.”

The Knicks reportedly were offering a five-year, $3.2-million contract, but Pitino said Friday no numbers had been discussed. He is believed to make $200,000 a year at Providence, including his summer camp and shoe endorsement contract with Converse.

Pitino said he would consider taking on the added responsibility of becoming the college’s athletic director, although he said the chance of his adding his name to the list of candidates is remote at this time. The position opened Thursday when Lou Lamoriello announced he had taken the president’s job for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.