Rick Pitino is back on the highest level of college basketball and the first-year head coach at St. John’s is ready to bring the Red Storm back to national relevance. He wants to make a splash.
Pitino immediately turnover the majority of his roster through the transfer portal. His team is expected to not only reach the NCAA Tournament, but make a deep run once there.
And the the 71-year-old is not just focused on this season. Rick Pitino recently teased a massive non-conference game at a historic outdoor stadium in New York City during an appearance on WFAN’s ‘Boomer and Gio’ radio show.
St. John’s is located in Queens and has an arena on campus. However, Pitino wants to make the Red Storm “New York’s team” and hopes to one day return to the glory days of sell-out games at Madison Square Garden.
My vision is to play every game at Madison Square Garden conference-wise. It has to be played in a major facility ’cause you’re going to need it. Carnesecca Arena will not be big enough for the brand of basketball that we’re going to build.
— Rick Pitino during his introductory press conference in March
That will start with the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2024/25 season.
We’re going to play Alabama in the Garden […]
We’re making the schedule as good as it can be. Playing in the Garden eight or 10 times is important.
— Rick Pitino on WFAN
Before the Red Storm reach that point, Pitino wants to play an even bigger game to begin next season. He and his athletic department are trying to arrange a game against Duke.
And St. John’s wants to play that game at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing.
We’re working right now to play Duke opening game in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
— Rick Pitino on WFAN
The historic arena is the largest tennis stadium in the world with a capacity of 23,771. It first opened in 1997 and hosts the U.S. Open every summer. It also served as a “neutral site” game between the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever of the WNBA in 2008.
Arthur Ashe has never hosted a collegiate game. Pitino hopes that it will soon host a home game for the Red Storm against one of the most historic programs in college basketball.
At his age, the two-time* national championship coach understands that this is his last stop. He wants to make a splash.
Look I’m 71. I’m not a spring chicken anymore and it’s my last opportunity to build something special. Whether it was the Knicks, or whether it was Providence College or Boston University or Kentucky or Louisville. This was my last opportunity to take something that was so big in the 60s, 70s, 80s and create it back to where Louie [Carnesecca] had it. And we’re starting out pretty strong.
— Rick Pitino on WFAN
A deep tournament run this season would be a great start. Playing Duke at Arthur Ashe and Alabama at MSG next season would be a huge opportunity to make a massive statement about St. John’s hoops.