It’s been many years since St. John’s basketball was nationally relevant. Athletic Director Mike Cragg and the school hope to change that with their hiring of Rick Pitino.
The only coach to lead 3 different programs to Final Four appearances, Pitino is expected to be introduced as the new Men’s Basketball head coach at a press conference on Tuesday.
Reports indicate that the 70 year old signed a 6 year contract with the University. Although terms haven’t been disclosed publicly, sources indicate that it will be a “lucrative” deal.
Pitino is fresh off leading Iona to their second NCAA tournament appearance in three seasons with the program. The 13th ranked Gaels ultimately fell 87-63 to UConn in the first round of the tournament on Friday.
After an intense courting period, the Hall of Fame coach met with University officials on Sunday to lay out his vision for the program. A deal was quickly consummated shortly thereafter.
In a series of tweets, Pitino thanked his players and Iona officials for their belief in him, saying “To my players, the last three years. All I can say is you know how much I love you.”
The Gaels went 64-22 under Pitino, good for a .744 win percentage. They captured two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles after the former UMass point guard took over in 2020.
Pitino was the top priority for St. John’s following the firing of former head coach Mike Anderson. A New York native, Pitino spent time as an assistant with the Knicks, and brings a level of cache to the program that’s been largely missing since Lou Carnesecca stepped down in 1992.
With only 3 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2002, St. John’s is hoping that Pitino’s media savvy and coaching pedigree will catapult the school back into relevance on the ultra-competitive New York sports scene.
That being said, the 2x National Championship winning coach also brings a degree of baggage with him to the school. Pitino was famously fired by Louisville in 2017 following an FBI investigation into a “pay for play” scheme involving recruits at the school.
This led to a 2 year coaching stint with Greek club Panathinaikos from 2018-2020 before making his return to college basketball with Iona.
Pitino’s appointment as head coach appears to already be causing waves, as former head coach Mike Anderson has revealed he plans to sue St. John’s over their classification of his firing as “for cause”. Anderson, who went 68-56 during his time at the school, alleges that he’s owed $11M by the institution. It’s currently unclear whether his legal team plans to link the Pitino hiring to their case, but the timing of their announcement and St. John’s appointment of Pitino would appear to be more than mere coincidence.
A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday at Madison Square Garden to formally introduce the new head coach.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Adam Glanzman. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.