he long and stormy NCAA inves- on the media list of head coaching contenders,but
tigation of the University of Kentucky Rick himself was focused on the NBA play-offs
basketball program has come to an where his New York Knicks team kept winning
end. Now the University is moving and winning. When the Knicks’ season finally
forward with the new leadership of ended, it didn’t take long for UK’s recruiting
alumnus C.M. Newton as director of athletics, process to begin.
and Rick Pitino as head coach of the Wildcats. Pitino had the key ingredients the UK
Newton comes back to the University administrators were looking for: he was consid-
highly touted for his integrity as a person as ered one of the best young coaches in America ~
much as for his success as a coach. One of his (133-73 in seven years at the college level and l
major goals at Kentucky is to see that the UK 90-74 in two years in the pros), he had a repu- {
program becomes a model for collegiate sports tation for demanding as much from his players
administration. UK President David Roselle in the classroom as he did from them on the i
started down that path with an unprecedented court , he played an exciting. fast-paced style of l.
process of cooperation during the investigation. ball, and he wanted the challenge of being the ‘
1t’s a path that Newton is eager to follow and Wildcats head coach at this time in history.
a major reason why he gave up a comfortable Pitino started coaching as a graduate
and successful coaching job at Vanderbilt to assistant at Hawaii; then was an assistant at r
return to Lexington. Syracuse University under ]im Boeheim for two  
During his 32-year career that took him years. ln 1978, at the age of 25, he became g
to three universities. . flransylvania in Lexington, head coach at Boston University where in five
Alabama and Vanderbilt, Newton won 509 years he entered the record books as the winning-
l games, lost $75. Perhaps more impressive, est coach in BU history. He jumped to the pro
l however, was Newton’s ability to produce game as assistant coach of the New York Knicks
l winning teams with exceptional academic in 1983. After two years, he went back to the
j credentials. During his eight years at Vanderbilt, collegiate setting as coach at Providence College
18 Commodores were named to the academic where he turned that program around. While
I all-SEC team, over SO percent more than any at Providence he took a team that had been
| other school in the league. All Z1 of the 11-20 the previous year to the National lnvitational
I seniors he coached there earned a degree. B Y L I Z D E M O R A N Tournament his first year and to the NCAA
E Part of Newton’s reputation stems from Final Four the second year, was named ]0hn
I his national and international contributions to Wooden National Coach of the Year and the
j basketball. He has literally circled the globe to Sporting News Coach of the Year.
E promote the game of basketball. His wedding On that note he returned to the Knicks
band shares his ring finger with his 1984 Olympic as head coach in 1987 and guided them to the
championship ring. For six years he worked on play-offs his first year there and this past
the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee. season to the Atlantic Coast division title and
serving as chairman of that elite group for five into the sixth game of the final play-offs. Now
of those years. He was also vice president of he’s at Kentucky preparing to demonstrate his
ABAUSA, the nation’s governing body for own brand of brash confidence rooted in a
international amateur basketball. consuming work ethic that results in
Rick Pitino was the first new person winning the right way.
Newton hired. Pitino’s name was always   .   ......................
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