NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – By the time Rick Pitino got to town, the coronavirus was already there. When Iona hired the Hall of Fame coach last March 14, there was no celebration for the new biggest man on campus.
The more noteworthy arrival in the New York City suburb that week was the National Guard, sent in by Gov. Andrew Cuomo when he set up a “containment zone” that closed schools and banned large gatherings within a one-mile radius of a synagogue just down the street that was the center of one of the earliest COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S.
Nearly a year later, the virus never fully let go of its grip around Pitino's program. Forced to stop four times this season because of virus issues — including one 51-day hiatus that sidelined them longer