Rick Pitino continues to be publicly smitten with his old school after Kentucky opted to hire a former Pitino player, Mark Pope, for their head coaching job. When Pope was initially hired, Pitino praised the decision and even pledged to donate to the Wildcats’ NIL fund, despite the fact he coaches at a Division I competitor to the ‘Cats with St. John’s. The Pitino-Pope connection is certainly strong, and Pope even suggested the idea of playing Pitino’s St. John’s club at his opening press conference. Fans cheered at the idea of playing then Johnnies and getting a chance to honor Rick Pitino on…