Rick Pitino spent two seasons as the Knicks' head coach and reached the playoffs both times. Now at Louisville, Pitino was just 35 years old when he became the Knicks' head coach in 1987.
Pitino’s team had a very young core led by Patrick Ewing, Gerald Wilkins and Mark Jackson. As the eighth seed in 1998, the Knicks lost in the first round to the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks were able to bounce back in Pitino’s second season and take it a step farther. With the additions of Johnny Newman and Charles Oakley, the Knicks posted a 52-30 record and reached the second round of the playoffs.
After sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks fell to Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the second round.
Pitino’s tenure with the Knicks was short, but he was successful in his time. His coaching certainly made an impact on his players, many of whom have become coaches since (Patrick Ewing, Rick Carlisle, Billy Donovan, Mark Jackson, Louis Orr).
