Pitino: My Story

Pitino, the former head basketball coach for the University of Louisville, reflects on his coaching career up to his being fired in 2017 amid accusations of illegal recruiting in this candid, fast-paced memoir. He hits the highlights of his jobs at Syracuse University, Boston University, the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics, and finally Louisville in 2001. Tension builds when Pitino discusses the end of his Louisville career. In 2016, a scandal developed when one of his coaches, Andre McGee, paid for strippers and prostitutes to entertain the teammates and other recruits. In May 2017, the NCAA stripped Louisville of its 2013 NCAA men’s basketball championship title; just a few months later, Pitino was fired from Louisville. Pitino offers a clear account of how the investigation unraveled, though the narrative is dotted with flashes of anger and frustration (“The DOJ did not give a damn about protecting my identity” throughout the investigation, he writes). Toward the end, Pitino writes, “Why would someone who has coached in seven Final Fours suddenly have to cheat?”; from there he lays out a convincing case for his innocence. Pitino’s memoir is strongly argued and insightful. (Sept.)