The No. 13 St. John's Red Storm are taking on the William & Mary Tribe on Saturday. With the Red Storm aiming to advance to a 2-1 record, it appears head coach Rick Pitino revealed when he plans to retire. However, that might not be as soon as some would expect.
In the pregame show of St. John's matchup with William & Mary, Andy Katz of Turner Sports reported that Pitino, who is 73 years old, plans to retire once he stops learning. Katz goes on to explain how the two-time national championship-winning coach finds ways to continue to learn.
“I'm going to retire when I stop learning.”
One thing that's special about Pitino is that he has consistently found ways to continue learning and adapting as a head coach. It's part of the reason he's remained coaching college basketball for so long. As Katz explained, Rick Pitino went out of his way to learn about European basketball, while also watching low and mid-major college basketball.
The 2025-26 campaign is Rick Pitino's 38th season of his career as a head coach. His first head coaching gig came in 1975-76, where he coached the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors for six games. Pitino's longest tenure was from 2001 through 2017, where he coached the Louisville Cardinals for 16 years.
His experience is unquestioned, and despite being in his early 70s, we could see Rick Pitino still coaching basketball for years to come. St. John's has a busy schedule this season, but due to Pitino's pedigree, the Red Storm are deemed an early favorite for the NCAA Tournament later in March.
