NBANCAA Basketball

Puerto Rico Basketball’s National Team Coach Is Now…Rick Pitino?

Puerto Rico’s basketball federation made it official today: Rick Pitino is their guy. The current Louisville coach will be leading Puerto Rico when they attempt to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

To qualify for the Olympics, Pitino’s troops will need to finish second in next summer’s Tournament of the Americas in Argentina or in the top three in the 2012 FIBA qualifier. From Fanhouse:

Puerto Rico last qualified for the Olympics in 2004, beating the United States on its way to a sixth-place finish. Its best Olympic performance was fourth, in 1964 in Tokyo. Potential players next summer include Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea, Miami Heat guard Carlos Arroyo and Denver Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman.

Pitino’s not exactly inheriting a team of world beaters, but the Puerto Rican climate could help make this a pretty cushy job for Slick Rick, and it’ll be another way to move on from his…other issues. And were we the only ones who didn’t know that Balkman was Puerto Rican?