By JAMES MADDEN
With many college basketball insiders believing that Providence will fire head coach Kim English after this season, Xavier head coach Richard Pitino has been linked to the job.
Pitino is a graduate of the school and is the son of Hall of Fame and former Providence head coach Rick Pitino. But the younger Pitino denied that he might leave his alma mater after one year.
“I promise you I will never leave after a 14- or 15-win season because that’s not my intent at all,” Pitino said before his team lost to Seton Hall, 77-68, on Tuesday. “You know, I appreciate greatly what Xavier has given me. Will I say I’m never going to leave? I have no idea…what I can tell you, what I really, really, really pride myself in is building a championship program.”
In his first season with the Musketeers, Pitino is 14-16, 6-13 Big East and currently ninth in the Big East. Xavier is his fourth head coaching stop of his career, which includes prior stops at Florida International, Minnesota and New Mexico.
English has not yet been fired from Providence, and the school has not yet made any announcement of his future, but the overwhelming consensus is that there will be a vacancy at Providence this spring.
Follow James Madden on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
