St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino is one of the most decorated men’s college basketball coaches of all time.
Pitino is the only Division I NCAA men’s basketball coach to win a national championship at two different universities, as he did with Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013, though the latter was vacated in February 2018 due to NCAA violations. Pitino, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, has seen it all.
But Pitino has never seen anything like this year’s Johnnies.
No. 5 St. John’s reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 and faced No. 1 Duke on Friday night. Duke prevailed, 80-75, and Pitino reflected on his team during his postgame press conference.
“This team was one of the most unique teams I’ve had in 52 years,” Pitino said. “Never one argument amongst the players — impossible — summer and regular season. Not one potential fight or somebody getting upset at somebody. I’ve never seen that in my 52 years.”
Pitino continued, “They were just the greatest kids in the world. They wanted to win so badly. They were willing to do anything to try and win. I’ll never have a team like this again with that type of attitude. I may have some good teams, but never, ever again with this type of attitude. Just incredible people, and my heart breaks for them right now.”
St. John’s hired Pitino on a six-year contract in March 2023. The Johnnies have made the NCAA Tournament twice — losing in the second round last year and in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
Whatever good teams Pitino may have, they will be at St. John’s. “It’s St. John’s or retirement for me,” he told NJ Advance Media’s Adam Zagoria earlier this week.
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