The St. John’s Red Storm have seen a remarkable turnaround since hiring Rick Pitino as the program’s head coach. The Red Storm won the regular season Big East title, their first outright since 1985. And with their 82-66 win over Creighton in the Big East Tournament championship game, it was St. John’s first tournament title since 2000. Following St. John’s Big East Tournament championship win, Rick Pitino divulged how he planned to celebrate the victory, as per Fox College Hoops.
“I’m gonna drink a quart of Jameson’s,” Pitino joked.
This was St. John’s first Big East Tournament championship since 2000. That season, their Red Storm reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they were eliminated by Gonzaga.
Rick Pitino’s jokes following St. John’s win did not end after his roundtable interview with Fox Sports. During his on-court press conference immediately following the win, with confetti still falling from the rafters, Pitino was asked when did he know this Red Storm team was special.
“About ten minutes ago,” Pitino joked. That was followed by Pitino saying he saved his best for last with bringing St. John’s back to national prominence.
The Red Storm will likely enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. It’s been a tremendous turnaround in such a short period of team with Pitino at the helm. Last season, his first as St. John’s head coach, they finished 20-13, 11-9 in the Big East and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
Pitino was hired by St. John’s following three years at Iona from 2020-2023. Pitino led the Gaels to two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance in what was his return to college basketball following a couple of years coaching overseas professional teams.
Pitino was fired from Louisville in 2017 amid sanctions from the NCAA following an investigation in violations. That also resulted in Louisville’s 2013 NCAA championship being vacated. But now he has St. John’s on the verge of possibly making a deep NCAA Tournament run.
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