Rick Pitino earned his pinstripes. The former Kentucky head coach brought St. John’s basketball back to life in his second season on the job. Even though the Johnnies did not ride that wave of momentum very far into the NCAA Tournament,

A native of New York City, the 72-year-old Pitino is no stranger to the Knicks. He was an assistant coach in New York from 1983-85 and led the Knicks from 1987-89. He left after two seasons with a 90-74 record and consecutive appearances in the NBA playoffs.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long before Rick Pitino’s name made its way online. He coached the Knicks in the late 80s and won 52 games in his second season there before going back to college to coach the University of Kentucky.