Pitino's Family Tree

How do you begin to rank coaches?  Total wins, Final Four appearances, or the ability to get the most out of a team - what says the most about a coach?  Consider the ability to unleash assistants to taking over their own programs.  As we approach the 2011-2012 season, Coach Pitino has further added to his enormous coaching tree with Steve Masiello taking over at Manhattan College, where he began his coaching career under the one and only Bobby Gonzalez.

Currently, seven head coaches have worked for Pitino, with more assistants both in the NBA and the collegiate ranks.  Chris Brickley, who played at Louisville two years ago, recently became an assistant at Farleigh Dickinson University, and Matt Wilson followed Masiello to Manhattan.  Long-time NBA veteran and NCAA Champ Walter McCarty is now on the sidelines for the Indiana Pacers.  Furthermore, Mick Cronin and Kevin Willard compete in the Big East with Pitino's Cardinals, with Masiello in the wings to take over a major conference program in the future as well.

Compare Pitino to Dean Smith and his predecessors of Larry Brown, George Karl, Roy Williams, Eddie Fogler, and Matt Doherty.  What has more weight - Pitino's 3 Final Four's with three different schools versus Smith's 879 total wins?  Both are unmatched coaching feats, so what's the deciding factor in trying to rank coaches from different eras, conferences, and expectations?

One thing is for certain, as long as Pitino continues to coach the game of basketball, he will teach the game of basketball on a deep, sophisticated level for players and coaches to take and run with.