Hey, college basketball. Don’t look now, but the great Rick Pitino is at it again
Don’t look now, but there’s an oldie but goodie at the top of the Big East Conference college basketball standings.
St. John’s is 16-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big East.
The St. John’s coach: Rick Pitino.
“We’ve had a very favorable schedule in January,” Pitino told PIX11 Sports this week after the Red Storm jumped back into the AP Top 25 at No. 20. “We haven’t played Connecticut yet. We haven’t played Marquette yet. So we’re not going to embrace it. We’re going to be just very thankful, but February is going to be a difficult month for us.”
Still, Ricky P is at it again. The 72-year-old Pitino is proving once again he is one of the best basketball coaches to ever walk a college sideline.
His Johnnies carry a five-game win streak into Wednesday night’s game against Xavier at Madison Square Garden. Last week, they rallied from 15 points down to defeat Georgetown 63-58 on Tuesday, then whipped Seton Hall 79-51 in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday.
Get this: The Red Storm’s three losses are by a combined five points — 99-98 in overtime to Baylor on a neutral floor; 66-63 to Georgia on a neutral floor; 57-56 to Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska.
It’s the latest chapter in one of the more fascinating careers in the profession. Coaching Providence to the 1987 Final Four at age 34. The short stint with the NBA’s New York Knicks. The national title and three Final Fours at Kentucky. The Boston Celtics failure. The (vacated) national title and three Final Fours at Louisville before being fired for NCAA violations for which he was later exonerated.
After a coaching stint in Greece, Pitino landed back in the states at Iona, where he coached the Gaels to two NCAA Tournaments in three years. He returned to his native New York last season at St. John’s, who went 20-13.
Pitino has adapted. Helped by St. John’s alum Mike Repole, the billionaire also heavily involved in thoroughbred racing, he’s successfully navigated the NIL/transfer portal era.
Example: Kadary Richmond, who starred at Seton Hall for three years before transferring to St. John’s for a lucrative NIL deal this season. Last Saturday, despite taunts from the Seton Hall students, Richmond scored 12 points to go along with six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
“Believe me, if the money was the same, he would play for Shaheen (Holloway),” said Pitino, referencing the Seton Hall coach who at St. Peter’s engineered the upset of No. 2 seed Kentucky in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. “If the money was close, he’d be playing for Shaheen.”
Pitino’s current success isn’t all about the money. The Red Storm play like Pitino’s best teams. St. John’s ranks fifth in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings. Against Seton Hall, St. John’s recorded 12 steals, blocked nine shots and forced 17 turnovers.
“We got punked,” Holloway said. “We got embarrassed.”
Off the court, Pitino has showed a softer side. He was genuinely touched by the reception he received at Big Blue Madness when he came to support his former player, new UK coach Mark Pope.
Mike Breen, ESPN’s No. 1 play-by-play man for NBA broadcasts, said last week Pitino had offered his Manhattan apartment to the Breen family, who lost their home in the Los Angeles fires.
And, despite how his Louisville tenure ended, Pitino reached out to Pat Kelsey to congratulate the new U of L coach’s success in returning the Cards to relevancy. Monday, when St. John’s reentered the AP rankings — its two-week stay at No. 22 in November was St. John’s first ranking in five years — Louisville made its Top 25 debut at No. 25.
The Red Storm does have work to do. Xavier defeated No. 10 Marquette on Saturday for its third straight win. Back-to-back games with Marquette (home on Feb. 4) and UConn (away on Feb. 7) await around the corner.
We do know this: St. John’s is enjoying its best start since its 1985 trip to the Final Four at Rupp Arena. Yes, Rick Pitino can still coach.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
