Born to Coach

Pitino became basketball's Wunderkind when, after only two years at the helm, he took the Providence Friars to the Final Four of the NCAA (National College Athletic Assoc.) tournament in 1986. The next year, he was named the Knicks' head coach, and here he and Providence Journal-Bulletin staffer Reynolds tell what that initial season was like. In Pitino's personal life, the year was traumatic, for he lost both a son and a father. But life on the court was almost as trying, as he attempted to convert himself from a college to a pro coach, working as hard to get attuned to his players as they did to get attuned to him. He introduced a new style of play to the Knicks, one designed to throw opponents off stride. That it worked is proved by the team's ability to reach the playoffs; cager fans will find this a stirring saga of losers who became winners. Photos. (Nov.)