Rick Pitino won his first game as a EuroLeague head coach on Friday night, guiding his Panathinaikos squad to a 96-84 victory over CSKA Moscow.
The win happened overseas, thousands of miles away from where he last coached at the University of Louisville, but the environment of his debut said it reminded him of old times when he coached at Kentucky in the late '80s and early-to mid-'90s.
"It reminded me of Kentucky," Pitino said after the game. "Just like that, and that's the highest compliment I give any crowd. Because I've always felt that in Kentucky basketball is a religion, and the fans tonight motivated us to play that type of defense."
Ironically Pitino, who last coached the Cardinals, spewed high praise for UK only hours ahead of the intense rivalry game between Louisville and its state rival Wildcats.
Pitino was fired after 17 years as the Louisville coach following an FBI investigation linking him to nefarious recruiting activities. He took over for EuroLeague power Panathinaikos last week, and has wasted no time in getting up into his players' faces to call for their best. In his first game, the below tweet showing Pitino's disdain for the offense went viral.
Rick Pitino is not messing around!#GameON pic.twitter.com/jeDCSLoPVj
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) December 28, 2018
With the win Friday, Panathinaikos improved to 7-8 on the season.
