Pitino: ‘Nothing is imminent’

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 1, 2001 | 10:26 a.m.

As if wishing will make it so, Rebels boosters and UNLV officials insist the courtship of basketball coach Rick Pitino is going well and he could be signed next week.

After all, he has expressed interest in varying degrees for about two months.

And his wife was just in Las Vegas checking out houses and schools.

And, for the moment, there aren't any other job openings of UNLV's magnitude.

All of that is true, but local optimism was being quelled by Pitino himself Wednesday. He told ESPN.com that he still has strong reservations about accepting a presumably forthcoming UNLV offer, reportedly worth $1.6 million a year for five years.

UNLV insiders have pegged Tuesday as a good day to hold Pitino's introductory press conference -- the NASCAR guys will be out of town by then, while the Mountain West tournament won't start until Wednesday -- but Pitino is telling everyone to hold on.

"This isn't a closed deal," he said Wednesday. "(UNLV's scholarship limitations) and a few other things aren't going away."

Pitino also said he plans to be in New York on Monday and Tuesday for NCAA tournament meetings with CBS, not at the Thomas & Mack Center for a press conference or the MWC tournament.

"I'll only go out (to Las Vegas) if I've given a commitment," Pitino said, adding that nothing is imminent.

At Pitino's request, his wife Joanne spent Tuesday and Wednesday touring homes and UNLV's facilities, as well as collecting information on private schools for the couple's two children. She flew back to South Florida on Wednesday night, and Pitino said he was eager to discuss her visit.

However, after intimating last week that his wife's approval was all that stood between him taking the job, Pitino now says he has concerns about other issues around the basketball program -- items that school officials and boosters felt had been resolved.

Bayno and his lawyers have threatened a wrongful-termination suit for weeks, and they say it will be filed Monday if a settlement isn't reached.

A copy of the potential complaint has been received by UNLV, with university president Dr. Carol Harter, AD Charlie Cavagnaro and the state Board of Regents named among possible defendants.

Bayno and Pitino have a friendly relationship, and an UNLV insider says Pitino wants the university to settle with Bayno to prevent a cloud from hanging over the program if Pitino takes over.

In other words, if UNLV gets the idea Pitino might be offended or frightened away, it might be more inclined to settle with Bayno. He's seeking up to $1.8 million for the final 2 1/2 years of his contract, but UNLV's best offer has been for approximately $250,000.

Bayno said he and Pitino have discussed the coaching job and that he answered Pitino's questions "as honestly as I could."