When John Calipari rose to prominence at UMass during the same era as Rick Pitino was (re)building a powerhouse program at Kentucky, for some reason the broader media had no idea how to process ...

With Rick Pitino at the helm, possibilities for St. John's seem ... would allow him to thrive in the Big East — even though Luis only averaged 11.5 points per game as a freshman at UMass, ...

Calipari had UMass, Pitino’s alma mater, in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years. Pitino, in his third season leading the Wildcats, had Kentucky as a top-10 team.

John Calipari and Rick Pitino are national champions ... was hired as the coach of the UMass Minutemen. Reports said Pitino, a UMass alumnus, was part of the group that played a vital role ...

On Friday, Rick Pitino talked a little bit more about John ... Here’s what the former UMass coach and former Celtics coach were asked and what they answered and in some cases how they avoided ...

Rick Pitino wasn’t interested in hyping up his ... In 1988, when Pitino’s alma mater, UMass, was seeking a head coach, he endorsed Calipari, who was an assistant at Pittsburgh.

March 30 1996: Kentucky 81, UMass 74 — Pitino wins** Jan. 30, 2002 : Memphis 80, Louisville 70 — Calipari wins Feb. 19, 2003 : Memphis 80, Louisville 73 — Calipari wins ...

Long-time rivals Rick Pitino and John Calipari could face each other in the NCAA Tournament ... His 1996 Final Four run at UMass began at Providence and included a game against Arkansas and ...

The prior bouts included the 1996 Final Four, where Pitino and Kentucky defeated Calipari and UMass; and the 2012 Final Four, where Calipari’s Kentucky team beat Pitino-led Louisville.

The UMass transfer had options. He took visits to Louisville and Texas A&M, along with St. John’s. The Queens school stood out for one reason. “I want to be coached by the best and I want ...