After his team's title defense ended in an upset in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 round last year, retirement is not even on Rick Pitino's radar, so he says.

According to the Associated Press, the 61-year-old men's head basketball coach at Louisville University said during a recent presser that he "can go for a long time." He said he has found a renewed passion and enthusiasm for the game through the Cardinals' latest recruiting class.

"I think it's the players the last four years that have enhanced that passion," Pitino said. "They stir my drink because they are so enthusiastic, so willing to learn and have such a great attitude."

The coach admitted that he somehow feels he has more in the tank at the age of 61 than he did 30 years ago. That is good news for Louisville, because Pitino is under contract through the 2021-2022 season, meaning the coach will be 69 when the deal expires.

Eight years could change a person's mind, but Pitino is one of college basketball's finest coaches and is not likely to just retire on a whim. Jim Calhoun did not even retire as UConn's men's head basketball coach when his health began to fail him and he coached through prostate cancer, broken bones and spinal stenosis.

Pitino is one of 14 college basketball men's head coaches to have at least two National Championship wins. With one more title, he could join Calhoun, Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Adolph Rupp and John Wooden in even more rare air as the only coaches with at least three.

With several seniors moving on from the team, Pitino and Louisville will start over once again and they will begin their title run against the coach's own son. On Nov. 14, Minnesota and Louisville will open their regular seasons at a Coast Guard Base in Puerto Rico, the Courier Journal reported.

Richard Pitino, men's head basketball coach at Minnesota, reportedly wanted the matchup while Rick, his dad, did not. Nonetheless, the two teams will play in front of U.S. military personnel and in front of the nation thanks to ESPN.

During his team's transitional phase, Pitino knows the matchup will be challenging and he is using that to give the Cardinals a sense of urgency.

"The positives are we've got a lot of talent and size," he said at the news conference. "The negative is we've got to get guys ready much quicker than ever before in my tenure as a basketball coach... The schedule's a bear, so we've got to get our guys ready physically and emotionally."