Pitino would have 'deep interest' in joining young NBA team

Rick Pitino, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who's best known for leading collegiate powerhouses Kentucky and Louisville to NCAA tournament championships, has his eyes set on making the jump back to the professional ranks.

"I just want to be a part of an organization," Pitino told ESPN's Adrian Wojanarowski. "I want to develop young players. I want to be part of a team. I miss it terribly. I'm using this time to really study the NBA. If something opens up with a young basketball team, I'd have deep interest in it.

"I think the league is going to get younger and player development will become even more important to every organization," he continued. "That's my forte. I believe I can help an organization find a pathway to success."

The 66-year-old was ousted from Louisville in the midst of a sport-wide corruption scandal last year, though an FBI probe appeared to back up Pitino's claim of ignorance about payments made from the program and its stakeholders to potential recruits.

Pitino has a 192-220 regular-season record as an NBA head coach, which was accrued during stops with the New York Knicks (1987-89) and Boston Celtics (1997-01). With the Celtics, Pitino served as both head coach and team president - the sort of arrangement that's fallen out of fashion in recent years as the scope of each role has expanded.

"I'm not looking for any of that (power/control) at this stage of my life," Pitino said. "I want to develop teams and develop players and build a winner. I value analytics. I want to fit into an organization. At this stage, that's all I'm interested in."