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Rick Pitino denies report he’s interested in Siena job

Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino

AP

In a perfectly executed Friday news dump, Siena announced at 4:30 p.m. that head coach Jimmy Patsos was parting ways with the university as the result of an investigation into verbal abuse that turned into an investigation into the improper use of per diem by the Saints coaching staff.

But that’s not what’s interesting about the Siena opening.

What’s interesting is that the Albany Times-Union quoted Roddy Valente, a man that co-owns the Kentucky Oaks contender Coach Rocks along with Rick Pitino, said Pitino “wants to discuss the opening with Siena officials.”

Pitino was fired by Louisville in late-September as a result of the investigation into corruption in college basketball by the FBI, which came right on the heels of the Louisville program being forced to take down the 2013 national title banner due to a scandal involving strippers and hookers that were used as a recruiting tool by a member of Pitino’s staff.

Pitino denied the report to the Louisville Courier-Journal, but perhaps what’s more interesting is that Valente was also quoted as saying that Pitino has turned down two jobs that he was offered already.

It’s long been thought that Patrick Beilein, John Beilein’s son and the current head coach at Division II Le Moyne, was the front runner for the job. Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara has also had his name floated as a potential replacement for Patsos.