Rick Pitino will finish his coaching career with St. John’s. At 71 years old, his return to New York City is set to be his final stop.
The goal is the same: win a national title. Pitino became the first coach to take three different schools to the Final Four and has two* national championships on his resume.
There is legitimate hope, if not an expectation, that the Red Storm will be the fourth different college basketball program to reach the Final Four under Pitino. It may not happen this year. It may not happen next year.
However, for as long as Rick Pitino is in Queens, there is belief that St. John’s can return to the success it had in the 1980s and 90s under Lou Carnesecca. Nothing short of continuous deep runs into March Madness will do.
That starts with 2023/24.
Pitino assembled one of the most talented rosters in the country through the transfer portal upon arrival. Dannis Jenkins came over after averaging 15.6 points per game at Iona. Ivy League Player of the Year Jordan Dingle arrived from Penn. Nahiem Alleyne spent three years at Virginia Tech and won a national title at UConn last season. Glenn Taylor will be a crucial rotational piece after a strong year at Oregon State. Joel Soriano stuck around for the new era after leading St. John’s last season.
That doesn’t include key reserves like R.J. Luis from UMass and Zuby Ejiofor from Kansas.
All of this goes to say that the Red Storm should be very good. Pitino’s team was picked to finish fifth in a very talented Big East conference in the preseason poll.
A preseason poll obviously means nothing. Games aren’t played on paper.
But that ranking implies an expectation for success.
Rick Pitino knows that he is expected to win.
St. John’s traveled to Wall Street earlier this week and Pitino rang The Opening Bell. While there, he was asked about the culture of his program. One thing matters most.
It’s a culture of winning.
What we’re trying to teach them is actually what goes into the makeup of winning. All the fundamentals. All the motivational things you have to do each and every day with each other.
Your teammates’ down? Pick ’em up.
Somebody’s having a bad night? Tell them it’s unimportant. Winning is the only thing that matters.
— Rick Pitino
Pitino is one of very few coaches to take five different programs to the NCAA Tournament. When asked if St. John’s was next, he made it abundantly clear that nothing short of March Madness will do.
Well, I’ve been given a one-year contract. If I don’t get there, they’re getting rid of me.
— Rick Pitino
Even though Pitino is joking, the best jokes always come with a smattering of truth. If the Red Storm does not make the NCAA Tournament this season, there will be a lot of questions and a lot of frustration.