St. John's basketball head coach Rick Pitino visualized bringing roundball enthusiasm back to this New York university. He got Queens, N.Y. energized to see the Red Storm pound UConn 72-52 for the Big East title Saturday.
The rout sealed new conference and school history for St. John's. Plus added the latest Big East crown for the legendary head coach.
Except he told SNY's Niki Lattarulo that he's more happier for the city, and less for himself.
“I'm so happy for the team, so happy for our student body, the administration and the whole city. It means so much to the city,” Pitino said. “It means so much for this coaching staff to work so hard, and get the fruits of your labor.”
St. John's win ‘dream come true' for Rick Pitino?
Pitino took over a program that hadn't gone to consecutive March Madness tournaments since the late 1990s when Mike Jarvis was head coach.
“For me, it was a dream come true,” Pitino said about winning this latest conference title.
But he added gratitude for another New York institution for building him back up in Iona. Pitino believes that pit stop following his fallout at Louisville helped get him the St. John's job.
The two-time national title winner also needed to lead his team past a Huskies squad that handed him his most embarrassing loss: A 72-40 pounding of the Red Storm back on Feb. 25.
St. John's looked more like the reigning conference champs in clamping down on defense and forcing multiple turnovers. But was Saturday all about revenge?
“It wasn't revenge. We were championship driven,” Pitino said.
Pitino, again, took over a team that endured underachieving seasons. St. John's qualified for only four March Madness bids during the 2000s decade. He's the first to deliver consecutive regular season and Big East tourney titles. The Queens region is now energized for the “Johnnies.”
Now his team aims to capture the school's third Final Four appearance and first-ever national title. St. John's awaits its NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday after 6 p.m. ET.
