Watch: Rick Pitino makes emotional return to Rupp Arena

Former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino got a hero’s welcome Friday from a place he was once very familiar with.

Pitino has had a complicated relationship with Kentucky over the years. But fans made the 72-year-old head coach feel more than welcome during the team’s “Big Blue Madness” event held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

Big Blue Nation erupted once Pitino came out of the tunnel and stepped onto the court.