Rick Pitino

Pitino engineered one of the greatest rebuilding jobs in college basketball history, resurrecting a Kentucky program decimated by NCAA probation into national champions. Inheriting a team banned from postseason play and live television in 1989, he rebuilt through sheer intensity and his trademark full-court pressing style. The 1992 'Unforgettables' — Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey, Richie Farmer, and Sean Woods — captivated the state in their heartbreaking overtime loss to Duke and Christian Laettner's iconic buzzer-beater in the East Regional Final. Four years later, Pitino delivered the 1996 national championship with 'The Untouchables,' featuring Tony Delk, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Derek Anderson, and Ron Mercer. His 219-50 record (.814 winning percentage) over eight seasons ranks among the best in program history. He left for the Boston Celtics after the 1997 Final Four.