Iona University's Rick Pitino is a Gael no longer; after meeting with St. John's basketball officials on Sunday, he is in agreement on a six-year contract to become the Red Storm's next head coach, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Pete Thamel.
Pitino is meeting with Iona basketball players to inform them of his intention to leave for St. John's.
The 70-year-old was reportedly the school's primary target after it fired Mike Anderson on Mar. 10. Formal discussions had to wait until Iona was officially eliminated from NCAA March Madness, which happened when the team lost to the Connecticut Huskies in the Round of 64 on Friday.
“Pitino laid out his vision for the program to St. John's officials…Pitino engaged with St. John's officials about the school's commitment, as sources said he would be taking the job with the intention to compete for Big East championships and the national title,” wrote Thamel and Borzello on Monday.
“That will require significant support both for the program and in the name image and likeness space. And both sides chatted about what's needed for the program going forward…During the NCAA tournament in Albany, New York, Pitino essentially acknowledged that he'd have the chance to be the coach at St. John's.”
Rick Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach, making it to seven Final Fours with three different programs. He is St. John's Basketball's most decorated coach since Lou Carnesecca stepped down in 1992, per ESPN.
St. John's has had five coaches since 2002, including Mike Jarvis, Norm Roberts, Steve Lavin, Chris Mullin and Anderson. The program has been to two Final Fours in its history, but has reached just three NCAA tournaments since 2002.
Pitino has won two national titles with Kentucky and Louisville, respectively, and has coached in 23 NCAA tournaments. The fit certainly makes sense, as he's from New York, and coached the New York Knicks from 1987 to 1989.
Now, he will return to those New York roots as St. John's basketball's new head coach.
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