Rick Pitino Articles - Page 2

The 2025-26 NCAA basketball season is under two months away from starting! Teams are officially releasing their schedules, which will consist of non-conference games and, for some conferences, an entire round robin of conference matchups. The Big East is one of the top conferences in the sport, featuring some of the best teams in the […]

The Michigan basketball team has a loaded non-conference slate lined up for the upcoming season, and it will begin before the regular season even begins. The Wolverines announced on Tuesday that they will be heading to the Big Apple to take on Rick Pitino and St. John’s in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden […]

The times have changed in college basketball and college sports at large. NIL and the transfer portal have reshaped how everything works, significantly reducing how the NCAA worked in the past. These changes prompted the Louisville basketball program to try to reinstate its 2013 national championship. A massive scandal rocked the Cardinals under Rick Pitino, […]

Ask any Big East fan and they’ll tell you that UConn basketball — on the men’s and women’s sides — has a passionate following. Outside of Connecticut, maybe no one knows this better than St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, who has coached against the Huskies since his days at Providence in the 1980s. Now, his […]

Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks as close to the NBA Finals as they have been in decades. The All-Star guard had one of his best seasons as a pro, impressing Knicks fans. However, there is one person who believes that Brunson plays outside of what his position calls for; St. John’s men’s basketball […]

Mark Pope is now the head coach of the Kentucky basketball team, but he used to be a player for the Wildcats back in the day. When Pope played at Kentucky, he was coached by current St. John’s basketball coach Rick Pitino. Pitino and Pope won a national championship with the Wildcats in 1996, and […]

Former New York Knicks guard and Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson responded Friday to Rick Pitino’s public endorsement for him to become the Knicks’ next head coach. Pitino, currently the head coach at St. John’s and a longtime figure in both college and professional basketball, advocated for Jackson earlier this week in light […]

Earlier this week, the New York Knicks made the surprising decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Thibodeau took the Knicks to the playoffs in four out of the five seasons that he was with the team, and they made a lot of improvements throughout his […]

As one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, St. John’s Rick Pitino has seen it all. While not typically a fan of how NBA teams defend, Pitino offered one of his greatest compliments to the Oklahoma City Thunder. One day after the Thunder clinched the NBA Finals with a Game 5 win over […]

St. John’s basketball ends up losing key scorer RJ Luis Jr. twice. First to the college basketball transfer portal. Now to the NBA Draft on Wednesday. Luis, who exploded as a scorer during the Red Storm’s Big East title run, opted to test the NBA waters. ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony confirmed Luis’ decision. […]

During the offseason, St John’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino has hinted at reunions. Now, this might be an actual opportunity. According to NJ.com, they explained that Pitino will face Kentucky in the 2025 CBS Sports Classic. However, there’s a major catch to this game. The Wildcats and Red Storm will play on a neutral […]

St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino has done it again. The Hall of Famer added another high-level talent through the transfer portal, bringing in Dillon Mitchell to an already loaded roster for the 2025-26 season. The Red Storm now has one of the most impressive transfer classes in the nation, with Mitchel joining the likes […]

Rick Pitino quickly became one pf the stories of this college basketball season for the job that he did with St. John’s basketball. In just year two at the helm, Pitino and the Johnnies swept the Big East regular season and tournament titles and were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Everything came […]

Rick Pitino and the St. John’s basketball team lost guard Simeon Wilcher to the college basketball transfer portal in a surprising move on Friday. Wilcher has had a couple of promising seasons with the Red Storm, and he was especially impressive this past year. Wilcher didn’t get a lot of playing time as a freshman, […]

One of the most intriguing available players in the college basketball transfer portal is North Carolina freshman guard Ian Jackson. Jackson played a major role for the Tar Heels during his first season of college basketball. He ended up being a starter in 12 games this past season, and he avergaged 23.8 minutes per game. […]

St. John’s men’s basketball guard RJ Luis was hurt when his head coach, Rick Pitino, benched him during the Red Storm’s second-round loss to Arkansas in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Luis, the Big East Player of the Year, averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season as he guided St. John’s to its […]

Although it ended in severe scrutiny and utter disappointment, St. John’s 2024-25 college basketball campaign marked the resurgence of Rick Pitino. The legendary head coach accomplished a great deal with the Red Storm this year. He elevated the program to heights that fans forgot were possible, guiding the team to a 31-5 record and Big […]

Both Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and St John’s head coach Rick Pitino won the 2024-25 co-Coach of the Year. This marks the first tie for the award in men’s college basketball history. Although there was a tie, both programs were unbelievable. For instance, Pitino’s St John’s squad won the Big East tournament, and regular […]

Omaha basketball rose to national attention during its first March Madness run. Marquel Sutton spearheaded the Mavericks’ season by dropping 19.3 points per game each night. Now he’s entered the college basketball transfer portal — making him highly coveted this offseason. Sutton informed Jonathan Givony of ESPN his intentions to enter the portal Wednesday. The […]

The St. John’s basketball team had an outstanding regular season as they won the Big East title and made the NCAA Tournament as a two-seed. The Red Storm unfortunately went down in the round of 32 against 10-seed Arkansas, but Rick Pitino is clearly building something special in the Big Apple. Pitino is already working […]

As Arkansas basketball upset St John’s in the Round of 32, it sparked a rivalry with John Calipari and Rick Pitino. The two are not the biggest fans of each other. After all, Calipari coached at Kentucky and Pitino at Louisville at the height of both programs. It was a gnarly in-state rivalry. It also […]

St. John’s basketball entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, riding the momentum of Big East regular season and tournament titles. With Rick Pitino at the helm, the Red Storm reclaimed relevance after years of struggles. However, their run ended in disappointment against Arkansas basketball, and Pitino later delivered even more bad news […]

Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith criticized Rick Pitino for benching RJ Luis Jr. in St. John’s season-ending loss to Arkansas in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Luis Jr. had a tough shooting night in Saturday’s loss. He had nine points and seven rebounds but shot 3-of-17 from the field, hurting the Red […]

New Mexico basketball head coach Richard Pitino has the approval of his father, Rick Pitino during Sunday’s game against Michigan State. The latter let out a grin after New Mexico was leading the Spartans. Rick Pitino looks like a proud papa ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Q9PoslroKv — CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 24, 2025 Unfortunately though, […]

The St. John’s Red Storm had a brilliant season under head coach Rick Pitino but it all came crashing down in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as the Arkansas Razorbacks put on an impressive defensive performance to pull off a 75-66 victory. The Red Storm played a strong defensive game and Pitino’s team […]

There will be no St. John’s basketball for the rest of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after the No. 2 seed Red Storm got stopped on their tracks in this year’s edition of March Madness by John Calipari and his No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday. The Razorbacks scored a 75-66 upset victory over the […]

St. John’s basketball took the stunning 75-66 loss to Arkansas with a touch of controversy. Head coach Rick Pitino opted to bench trusted scorer RJ Luis Jr., with the decision coming late in the game Saturday. The Red Storm turned to Luis not long ago. St. John’s watched him explode in the Big East Tournament […]

St. John’s basketball trusted the shooting touch of RJ Luis Jr. not long ago. Luis delivered an explosive late scoring charge to seal the Big East title, even breaking a mark held by Chris Mullin. But Rick Pitino stunningly didn’t turn to Luis against Arkansas late in their Saturday March Madness contest. That’s because the […]

In a marvelous opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the Big Ten, Michigan State basketball survived a tough game against Bryant on Friday, and moves on to play under-seeded New Mexico in the Round of 32. Tom Izzo discussed the Spartans’ upcoming matchup against the Lobos, and head coach Richard Pitino, via NCAA March […]

The first round of the NCAA Tournament is almost in the books, and teams have been making March Madness history all over the country. One of the coolest stories of them all may be what Rick Pitino and his son, Richard, have done at their respective programs. The elder Pitino, “The Godfather” as some call […]

St. John’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino got honest on the upcoming second-round matchup against John Calipari and Arkansas. The Red Storm were in vintage form on Thursday against Omaha, getting off to their usual slow start in the first half and looking like the best team in the country in the second half. In […]

The St. John’s basketball team is getting ready for an NCAA Tournament run, and Red Storm fans will rightfully feel like this could be their best shot at a championship in recent memory. Rick Pitino has revived college basketball in New York and has St. John’s rolling into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 […]

The West regional is flooded with intrigue heading into March Madness opening weekend. Florida basketball sits at No. 1 in this bracket and has fans penciling the Gators in as the West winner. The top seeded Gators, however, are in a loaded field ahead of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. St. John’s has Queens […]

Could St John’s basketball and Arkansas square off in the same pod? If they do, the Red Storm head coach, Rick Pitino, isn’t concerned about facing John Calipari. After St John’s basketball won the Big East title, they are hoping to continue their success. Even with the caliber of head coaches, Pitino is less than […]

The week of March Madness is here and we are under 72 hours away from the festivities getting underway. The biggest stars in college basketball will be going at it all over the nation as they try to become the next NCAA Tournament hero. Some of those stars will waste no time going at each […]

St. John’s University men’s basketball team has finally been waiting a year to revenge itself, which they accomplished on Saturday. Red Storm won their first Big East championship since 2000 when they beat Creighton 82-66. Now, St. John’s has become the second-to-last team revealed in the 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket. Rick Pitino spoke to Pat […]

St. John’s basketball is one of the hottest teams in the country this season under Rick Pitino. The Johnnies are storming into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed after winning the Big East regular season title and cruising through the Big East Tournament on their way to the title. Before the Red Storm […]

St. John’s basketball has galvanized New York ahead of its March Madness appearance. The Red Storm clinched their first outright Big East title in 25 years. Rick Pitino and his crew will be carrying Queens and the entire Empire State on their back for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. St. John’s enters comfortably as the No. […]

The Rick Pitino effect at St. John’s is REAL. And for the first time since 2000, the Johnnies are Big East Tournament Champions. Almost two years to the day since he held his introductory press conference at Madison Square Garden as the 22nd head coach in St. John’s program history, Pitino has the Johnnies back […]