When Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart sit down to talk about what makes a college coach truly great, you know you’re getting more than just a list of names; you’re getting a real, unfiltered look at the business of college basketball.
Their conversation about Rick Pitino and the broader landscape of elite coaches is a masterclass in how the game has changed and how they best adapt or get left behind.
Pitino’s fiery energy and accountability in the NIL era
Brunson started it off with a question about Pitino’s legacy.
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“Rick Pitino has always been an amazing coach, right? He’s always been up there, but I feel like to do what he’s done in another conference with another team… What does this do for you guys for him and like the conversation? In terms of like elite college coaches, like are you surprised to see them there?”
“No. No, but the thing I think this is really cool about that is… you seen little clips of him talking to his players and it’s still that fiery Rick Pitino energy. It’s not like… the climate I was seeing in college is different where you kind of have to do a little bit more babying and coddling and recruiting your own players and doing that. He’s still… he’s adjusted to it. Yeah, he’s still doing a good job of, you know, going at guys and holding guys accountable and those kind of things, so that’s what I think is really cool,” Hart explained.
Pitino’s adaptability is the story. He’s the only coach in Division One history to win a regular season conference title with five different schools, a feat that speaks to his ability to evolve and keep winning no matter the era or the roster.
“I mean, I think it’ll go down as what I was gonna say, obviously a top coach, but that’s not for sure,” Hart said. “I’m Jay Wright. Who do you know? John Wooden. Okay, to a while ago, pretty far back. Coach K. The last three spots are tough,” he then added.
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The difference between great recruiters and great coaches
But the conversation quickly turns to the difference between coaching and recruiting. “There’s a couple of guys. I don’t think they were great coaches. I think they were great recruiters. And I say Roy Williams, though. I think he was a great recruiter,” Hart chimes in. “Recruiter. [Jim] Boeheim. [Jim] Calhoun. I feel like we’re missing a lot. Yeah, I’m gonna say Boeheim was great. I’m gonna say Calhoun just because there’s more championships. Mark Few, I think he cracks the top ten. [Billy] Donovan had a great run, the repeat, two-peat, two-peat, repeat. He’s not top five, but Bill Self is up there. Bill Self is a hell of a recruiter.”
The new era of NIL and the transfer portal has only blurred the line further. Coaches are now part recruiters and part CEOs, managing rosters that turn over every year and competing not just on the court but in the marketplace.
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Some of those whom Hart and Brunson named adjusted to the new environment, and some didn’t. Boeheim is one of the coaches that decided to give up and retire, rather than fight the battle he can’t win. Bill Self and Rick Pitino are still going strong, showing the ability to keep up with the time and the new NIL deals and transfer portal.
Pitino’s ability to stay relevant, keep that “fiery energy,” and hold players accountable while also navigating the chaos of modern college hoops is what sets him apart. Some coaches win with X’s and O’s, others with charisma and recruiting pitches. The truly elite? They do both and they do it year after year, no matter how the game changes. For Brunson and Hart, that’s the difference between a great recruiter and a great coach. And in today’s college basketball, you better be both.
