“Al Pacino on the left, Rick Pitino on the right. Two guys that can not! be! shaken! down!” Gus Johnson exclaimed as the St. John’s head coach led another one of his teams to a regular season championship in 2025. There was no lie there. Pitino looked like him, remained reluctant much to the qualities of the young Godfather, and those locker room speeches? Any Given Sunday! The Internet had a field day with the comparisons. But what’s making the case even stronger?

Let’s take a look at the Hall of Fame Coach’s cultural roots.

What is Rick Pitino’s ethnicity?

Rick Pitino is of Italian descent, and he never fails to embrace that very fact. 

As a young sports enthusiast growing up, he looked up to the players of his own heritage paving their way, including legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi. “Vince Lombardi growing up was always a guy that we always looked up to as Italian coaches,” Rick stated in an interview with the New York Post.

Following his footsteps, Pitino has been one of the most decorated coaches in basketball history, guiding three different programs to NCAA Final Four and two to National Championship– Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013. He was also inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1999– an institution that honors US athletes of Italian decent.

But for a more interesting part, in 1996, Louisville Business First reported that Pitino was in the works to launch a line of Italian foods to be sold in grocery stores. The Pitino Classic Italian foods included 10 different sizes and shapes of pasta to be released by 1997. “With the popularity of the Cats and Rick Pitino, I don’t see how it could go wrong,” Beverly Renfry had said. Pitino would also partner with chef Jodi DiRaimo around the same time to open a restaurant that serves authentic Italian food, something the coach believed Kentucky lacked. ‘Bravo Pitino’ it was later named. But what happened of the two ventures is not known.

What is Rick Pitino’s nationality? Where was he born?

Born on September 18, 1952, Rick Andrew Pitino is of American nationality. While not much is known about his parents and siblings, the coach grew up in New York City. But in coaching, he’d travel all over.

When Pitino started his career, it was in Hawaii as an assistant coach. He then moved to Syracuse to work with Jim Boeheim, followed by his first successful stint in Boston. Leading the University to its first her NCAA Tournament, the young coach had found his footing. But he’d only stay there for 5 years before moving back to New York as an assistant coach to the Knicks. Then a few years in Kentucky later, he was once again ready to call Queens his home, coaching the St. John’s from 2023.

What religion does Rick Pitino follow?

Rick is a follower of Roman Catholicism and his belief in his religion is significant. Even former commissioner of the Big East Conference, Mike Tranghese noted that when both Rick and his wife Joanne were facing some hardships, it was their faith in their religion that restored normalcy. “Rick and Joanne are both Catholic, and I think it was faith [that pulled them through],” Mike said.

Apart from that, the 72-year-old believes in giving back to the community. In 2024 Rick collaborated with Fr. Bradley establishing a shelter named in honor of his late son, Daniel Pitino. The initiative provided emergency housing and a soup kitchen for the homeless in Owensboro.

Overall, Rick has also been associated with Catholic educational institutions throughout his career, one notably being Iona University, a catholic school, where he served as a Head Coach from 2020 to 2023 and then St. John’s where coaching career seemed to have found a new light. “‘The only person to dig you out of that [32-year win drought] and give you a great basketball coach and win is Rick,” Tranghese had said in trying to convince Rev. Brian J. Shanley, president of the University.

With the Al Pacino comparisons that blowed up and the moniker, ‘Godfather’ that stuck, you know the trust was put in the right place.