Rick Pitino’s time at Louisville came to a controversial end amid a sex scandal that rocked the program. He’s now at St. John’s, where he’s been able to breathe new life into a program that had struggled before his arrival.

The scandal also saw Tom Jurich, who hired Pitino at Louisville, put on administrative leave. But any bad blood between the two parties seems to be gone as Jurich recently had a street near the university named after him.

“I really wasn’t upset that they fired me. Anybody can be. I’m okay with that,” Pitino said on CBS Sports’ “Inside College Basketball.” “It was the treatment they gave Tom Jurich. Just recently, they named the street outside of the practice facility Tom Jurich Way. So all is forgiven. All is forgotten.”

Pitino said that he harbors no negativity toward the university where he coached from 2001 to 2017, leading them to a championship in 2013 that was later vacated by the NCAA.

“I would go back in a New York minute,” Pitino said. “My staff did some things that I did not appreciate, and I have no problem with them terminating me at all. So I’ve got to take responsibility for what happened, but I also take responsibility for 17 unbelievable years, three Final Fours, and a national championship.”

He was also complimentary of the Cardinals’ current head coach, Pat Kelsey, who in his first season led the Cardinals to their first NCAA Tournament since 2019.

“(He) is doing…an awesome job,” Pitino said. “I love his enthusiasm. I love what he’s all about as a coach.”

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men’s national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.