Rumors have been circulating that UCLA may have interest in hiring Rick Pitino, but you might be able to pump the breaks on that talk.
College basketball reporter Adam Zagoria wrote in a piece for Forbes that prominent UCLA boosters Casey Wasserman and John Branca were backing Pitino as their No. 1 choice to replace Steve Alford. That’s significant because Wasserman has tremendous influence at the school.
Wasserman donated money to created The Wasserman Football Center on UCLA’s campus. He was also the primary driver behind the school securing Chip Kelly as football coach. If Wasserman wants something, there’s a good chance he can make it happen.
However, Bruins Nation reported on Saturday that Wasserman is not backing Pitino.
Pitino comes with a host of problems, as he was fired by Louisville amid an investigation into the school potentially paying for a recruit. That came after the school had already been disciplined for their sex parties.
Pitino, 66, is currently coaching a well known Greek team in the EuroLeague.
The report never made much sense, especially since another candidate mentioned for the job is one of his management group’s clients.
UCLA has gone 2-0 since firing Alford.
