March Madness is Here!
It’s that time of the year again… No, it’s not warming up for good yet, but March Madness is here! Check out these amazing houses that some NCAA basketball coaches call home!
Rick Pitino
Louisville Cardinals
This Miami home is that of University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who is looking to lead his Cardinals team to a second national championship in as many years. When the madness ends, the Hall of Fame coach will likely head back to the Miami area, where he owns a pair of multimillion-dollar homes. In addition to his sprawling palace in Indian Creek Village, Pitino also owns a 6,055-square-foot Mediterranean in Bal Harbour, which lists for $3.995 million.
Tom Izzo
Michigan State Spartans
For the majority of the year, Michigan State University head coach Tom Izzo calls a stately 8,000-square-foot house in East Lansing, Michigan home. But when the Big Dance ends, the Big Ten coach can finally return to his vacation property on Spring Lake, Michigan.
The relaxed lakefront property, which features a cozy master retreat, a bounty of entertainment areas, and 100 feet of private frontage on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan, cost Izzo a cool $1.6 million.
Shaka Smart
VCU Rams
After he piloted Virginia Commonwealth University on its unprecedented run to the Final Four in 2011, Shaka Smart became a household name. Following the tournament, the Rams jumped to lock up the incredible coach, and signed Smart to an eight-year extension that bumped his base salary to around $1.2 million a year.
With his contract extension, it appears Smart plans on making Virginia home, for a while at least, he paid just under $1 million for a brick-lined Richmond, Virginia, estate in May 2012.
Steve Alford
UCLA Bruins
Looks like the LA lifestyle is growing quite well on UCLA coach Steve Alford. He signed a seven-year, $18.2 million contract to coach UCLA, Alford has led to the Bruins to a 26-8 record this season.
While in LA, he scooped up a 7,200-square-foot home in Calabasas, California. The UCLA coach paid $2.475 million for the home, which features a gourmet kitchen, a pool, California standard palm trees, and a massive sports court.
Lon Kruger
Oklahoma Sooners
On the eve of the tournament in 2012, Sooners men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger listed a 10,000-square-foot home in Las Vegas for a cool $5 million.
Making another tournament appearance, University of Oklahoma’s Kruger is still searching for the perfect luxury home. However, the coach has been forced to lower his expectations a bit and has had to lower the listing price on his desert property to $4.5 million.
Jim Larrañaga
Miami Hurricanes
The Univresity of Miami Hurricanes did not make it to the NCAA Tournament this year, but that doesn’t take Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga out of the game. He can now focus on settling into his new home.
Larrañaga, who coached George Mason University to an surprising Final Four appearance in 2006 and took over in for the Hurricanes in 2011, recently paid $1.24 million for a 3,900-square-foot Mediterranean in the Miami suburb of Pinecrest, Florida.