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Rick Pitino has only been coaching the St. John's basketball program for 62 games, but he's already managed to turn the Red Storm around, make all sorts of history, and live up to the Godfather of New York moniker that has been making the rounds ever since the smooth-talking, sharp-dressing college basketball icon was hired by the school in March 2023 after a short career-rehabilitation stint as the head coach of the Iona Gaels.
This week in particular has been one that has highlighted just how quickly, and how effectively, Pitino has been able to transform St. John's from an afterthought to a powerhouse in the basketball rich Big East Conference, which is home to more National Champions (4) in the last ten years than any other conference in College Basketball.
Consider, when the most recent AP Poll was released earlier this week, St. John's was ranked 7th in the country. It's the first time that the school has been ranked 7th or higher in the AP Top 25 Poll since December 1991, when 66-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca led the Johnnies to a top ten ranking in his final 24th and final season as the program's head coach. Now it's Pitino, 72, who had the Red Storm relevant, ranked, and reasonable believing that a National Title could conclude the season.
With one more win over their next two games — or a loss by Creighton — St. John's will clinch their first outright Big East Conference Title since 1985, which also happens to be the last time the program made it to a Final Four. That season, the Johnnies were one of three Big East schools — along with Villanova and Georgetown — to make the Final Four. This season, UConn, Creighton and Marquette all entered with title aspirations. But as the calendar page nears a turn to March, it's St. John's whose championship dreams appear most realistic.
‘The Godfather' has built St. John's into New York City's Team
Any good Don will tell you that it's crucial to surround yourself with the right people. A smart consigliere, hard-working captains and loyal soldiers are vital to the success of any ‘family,' and in just two seasons, Rick Pitino has constructed a family that is not only capable of winning a National Championship, but one that embodies New York City basketball to its core.
Surely every old-head hoops fan who lives in any of the five boroughs is loving every second of this St. John's season for that exact reason. There's a New York City grit and attitude that this team exudes as each and every game progresses. A bunch of hard-nosed, unselfish, fearless, win-at-any-cost veterans — the Johnnies' five leading scorers, led by junior RJ Luis and senior transfers Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith and Aaron Scott, are all upperclassmen — have collectively smacked nearly every opponent they've faced this season in the mouth.
And of course, standing on the St. John's sideline overseeing all of this is Rick Pitino, a Long Island, New York native who is coaching his tail off into his 70s, looking like he's about to facilitate leaving a chopped-off horse's head in the bed of every opposing coach he faces. Metaphorically, that is.
But don't get it twisted… Rick Pitino has sent a message to the rest of the college basketball world. Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of basketball, may soon be home to the 2024-25 champions, and there might not be a damn thing anyone can do about it.
