LOUISVILLE (2015 FIBA Americas Championship/2016 Olympics) - Puerto Rico have at last got their man.

The Caribbean nation has put Rick Pitino, the coach of American college basketball's Louisville Cardinals, in charge of the Puerto Rico national team.

Pitino, one of the most famous coaches in the world because of his success in both American college hoops and his time in the NBA with the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, will try to steer the Boricuas into the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

They will gain passage to the 2016 Summer Games if they reach the Final of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico.

"I'm very honored to be the coach," he said in an interview from Louisville that appeared on primerahora.com.

"I'm very fired up about a few things that we have to take care of here in Louisville. But this summer, we'll do everything we can to put the best team on the floor possible."

Pitino will coach his Cardinals this week in the ACC Tournament and the following week, they will compete in the NCAA Tournament.

He coached a Louisville squad which had Senegal international Gorgui Dieng to the NCAA title just two years ago.

During his interview on Monday, Pitino was asked about the complications of coaching players whose first language is Spanish.

"I already have my Rosetta Stone hooked up already again," he joked.

"Mike Balado, my assistant [Louisville] coach, speaks fluent Spanish. I believe most of the players speak some English.

"You know, there are barriers to every situation.

"Nothing is always perfect in this situation. But basketball is such a universal situation."

The most important thing is winning, putting a great product on the floor - Pitino

Pitino had agreed to coach Puerto Rico four years ago before the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina but ultimately did not lead the team.

The NCAA did not give permission to Pitino to train his Louisville team in Puerto Rico that summer.

There are no roadblocks this time.

"Last time I could not do so for reasons of conflict of schedule and the place of training, but I'm very much excited about this project," he said.

Pitino, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, is enthusiastic about coaching in international basketball.

One of the players he will get to work with is Jose Barea of the Dallas Mavericks.

Barea played for the national team last summer.

"I wanted to do it at least once in my life," Pitino said.

"I was going to do it once and failed to do so and now I want to do it before retiring.

"For so long, I've been waiting for this opportunity.

"And for me, the most important thing is not merely to lead a national team, but to lead a national team of a country with a huge passion for basketball that Puerto Rico has."

FIBA