Pitino returns to college basketball as Iona coach

Hall of Famer Rick Pitino was named basketball coach at Iona College on Saturday.

Pitino coached at Louisville from 2001-17 before being fired in a pay-for-play scandal and had been coaching in Greece. He replaces Tim Cluess, who resigned Friday due to health concerns after 10 years and six NCAA Tournament bids.

“My passion in basketball started in New York and will end there at Iona College,” Pitino said in a statement released by the school.

The 67-year-old Pitino has a 770-271 overall record in college and became the first coach to take three different schools to the Final Four. He won national championships at Louisville (2013) and Kentucky (1996) and also went to the Final Four with Providence in 1987.

Pitino coached twice in the NBA, with the New York Knicks (1987-89) and the Boston Celtics (1997-2001), where he was also team president.

In June, Pitino coached Panathinaikos to the championship in the Greek League.

Pitino’s return to college basketball comes nearly six months after he and Louisville settled lawsuits stemming from his departure in the wake of a federal investigation of corruption in college basketball.

Cycling: German cyclist Maximilian Schachmann won the Paris-Nice race in a rare case of a sporting event still going ahead amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While France’s soccer and rugby leagues scrapped their matches indefinitely on a hectic Friday, organizers maintained one of cycling’s biggest stage races. They only shortened it by scrapping Sunday’s traditional last stage into the southern city of Nice.

Belgian Tiesj Benoot was 18 seconds behind overall, while Colombian Sergio Higuita finished third and former Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali was fourth.

NFL: Atlanta Falcons fullback Keith Smith agreed to a threeyear contract extension. The undrafted linebacker from San Jose State, who started five games and led the team with eight special-teams tackles in 2019, was set to become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday. The 27-year-old Smith signed with Atlanta early last season after he played in 16 games, including three starts, with the Raiders in 2018. Washington placed the franchise tag on three-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff. Scherff and the team had been in talks on a long-term deal. Instead, Washington ensured its 2015 first-round pick would not reach free agency.

The Detroit Lions re-signed long snapper Don Muhlbach. Entering his 17th NFL season, Muhlbach is second on Detroit’s career list with 244 games played.

Baseball: The Washington Nationals released relief pitcher Hunter Strickland. The former Giant was most known around Washington for plunking and brawling with ex-Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper in 2018. In 281 career games with the Giants, Mariners and Nationals, Strickland is 16-15 with a 3.16 ERA, 229 strikeouts, 87 walks and 21 saves.

Strickland was a trade-deadline pickup for Washington last season. The 31-year-old appeared in 24 regular-season games but none in the playoffs.

Biathlon: Martin Fourcade finished his career as one of the greatest biathletes by winning his last race on the 10th anniversary of his first pursuit win — in the same place. France’s most successful Winter Olympian with five gold medals announced his retirement, then won his final race in Kontiolahti, Finland, narrowly missing an eighth World Cup sprint title.