Last weekend, the St. John's basketball team blew a big 19-point lead against Seton Hall that resulted in a 68-62 loss. It was a difficult one to swallow for the Red Storm after having such a big lead, and head coach Rick Pitino was not happy about it after the game.
After St. John's basketball lost to Seton Hall, Rick Pitino made a lot of comments about his team, and he even mentioned some players by name as he discussed the issues that the Red Storm were having.
“Our lateral quickness and our toughness is just something I've never witnessed in all my years of coaching,” Pitino said after the Seton Hall game, according to an article from ESPN. “We are so nonathletic that we can't guard anybody without fouling.”
Pitino faced some criticism as a lot of people weren't happy that he ripped into his St. John's players like that. He then responded to the comments by saying that he wasn't actually ripping anybody.
St. John's basketball: Pitino responds
“I was pointing out exactly — in a monotone voice — why we lost,” Pitino said. “I am not always calm and certainly not when I rip someone … I was not ripping anybody. I sometimes want my players to hear my words and read my words. That was my intention [Sunday].”
It certainly needed an explanation, but Pitino claims he was just trying to explain what went wrong for his St. John's team. He tried to explain it in a calmer way Monday as well.
“I was asked the question, ‘Why do you blow second-half leads?' And I can tell you sometimes it's missed free throws at the end of the game and [opponents] make free throws,” Pitino added. “Sometimes, it's a turnover. Sometimes, it's bad shot selection that leads to run-outs. It's not the same reason every time. But it's the same reason every time of why you foul: You foul because you take a bad shot, you get caught in a bad situation defensively, and you are not overly quick laterally. So, when you go to [defend] the basket, rather than beat them to the spot, you foul. That's what I was trying to point out.”
A coach is a completely different person when his team loses a game compared to when his team wins a game. On Wednesday night, St. John's basketball returned to action for a battle against Georgetown, and they picked up a much-needed 90-85 win. Rick Pitino was in a much better mood after this one, and he apologized to his players for his previous comments.
“My family and my players, outside of breathing air, they're the most important thing in my life,” Pitino said, according to a tweet from CBS Sports College Basketball. “That's why I'm still coaching today. They are the air that I breathe. I love them dearly. I would never want to embarrass them or hurt them.”
That was a nice comment from Pitino. St. John's improved to 15-12 on the season with the win, and they are 7-9 in Big East conference play right now. Getting into the tournament is going to be tough for the Red Storm.
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