Rick Pitino has been coaching basketball for five decades.

He is a true basketball lifer, and with his latest role leading the St. John’s Red Storm men’s program, he has once again risen to the upper echelons of the sport.

But after such a long and winding career, Pitino is now 72 years old, and it’s fair to ask how long he plans to continue roaming the sidelines and coaching up college athletes. Speaking with media ahead of throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, Pitino said he wants to hold on to his current gig as long as he can.

“As long as you’re mentally and physically sharp, you do it as long as you can. Because coaching is a blessing. It’s the second-best thing to playing,” Pitino said. “I have been blessed with over 50 years of coaching, and I hope it continues as long as I can do it.”

Last year, Pitino led the Red Storm to a 31–5 record, and secured the Big East regular season title and conference tournament title. While there’s now another big basketball job opened up in New York City, Pitino has a good thing going with St. John’s right now.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rick Pitino Gives Update on How Long He Intends to Keep Coaching.

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