Rick Pitino is taking over New York City one day at a time. The 71-year-old was announced as the head coach at St. John’s back in March and will get his first college basketball season with the Red Storm underway next week.
There is a lot of buzz around what Pitino can do in year one. His team was picked to finish fifth in the Big East preseason poll despite a significant roster turnover and new staff.
In the age of the transfer portal, Pitino was able to overhaul the majority of his roster with top-tier talent, including the Ivy League Player of the year. Although St. John’s gave up a 20-point lead to Rutgers during its first exhibition game and lost to a Division-II team in its second scrimmage on Sunday, the expectation is nothing short of an NCAA Tournament appearance.
If Tuesday morning was any indication, things are looking up. Pitino’s special role in an inherently New York tradition may have been a positive sign for the Red Storm.
The New York Stock Exchange welcomed the men’s basketball team and representatives of MSG Entertainment to ring in the start of the much-anticipated college basketball season next week. To honor the occasion, Pitino rang The Opening Bell.
Although things dipped at first, the market was up more than 20 points within the hour. Pitino rang the bell and the stock market saw positive upward movement.
Is that a good omen for St. John’s? Only time will tell, but Rick Pitino ringing the bell is an incredible image.
It doesn’t get much more New York than that.
The Red Storm begins its season on Tuesday. Stony Brook will travel to Carnesecca Arena for the season-opener. St. John’s will play its first game of the Pitino era at MSG against Michigan on Nov. 13.