Rick Pitino explains why he doesn’t view his St. John’s comeback as a ‘redemption’ story
NEW YORK — Rick Pitino doesn’t look at his return to college basketball’s biggest stage as a redemption story.
He said as much Saturday after leading St. John’s to its first Big East Tournament championship in 25 years, then reiterated that stance Monday during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I really don’t believe in the word ‘redemption’ because those who judge you really don’t know the facts,” Pitino told McAfee. “They really don’t know either way, innocent or guilty. They don’t know it.”
Those comments came more than seven years after Louisville fired Pitino in October of 2017 during a federal investigation into fraud and corruption in college basketball.
Pitino maintained his innocence throughout that scandal, which included allegations that Adidas representatives funneled $100,000 to the family of a Louisville recruit. In November of 2022, Pitino was exonerated by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP).
“If something went wrong, you’re the head of the team,” Pitino said Monday. “You have to be responsible for all actions that go on. Obviously, things were done the incorrect way. I suffered the consequences.”
Following his firing, Pitino coached the Greek club Panathinaikos for more than a year, then spent three seasons at Iona.
St. John’s hired him in March of 2023, hoping he would turn around a once-proud program that had not won an outright Big East championship since 1985 or made the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
Pitino ended both of those droughts this year, clinching the Big East’s regular-season crown behind an 18-2 conference record before landing a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
St. John’s is set to face No. 15 Omaha on Thursday night in Providence, R.I. It’s an opportunity Pitino could not have envisioned even a few years ago.
“The NCAA enforcement staff, I won’t call them corrupt. I will call them inept,” Pitino said Monday. “The reason I say that is it takes them five years to decide your fate.
“Whether you’re guilty or innocent doesn’t matter. It’s gonna take them five years to judge you. After five years, I get exonerated. Well, now I’m over in Greece, coaching a legendary program, Panathinaikos, and to be perfectly honest … I thought I was gonna end my career in the EuroLeague.”
Pitino, 72, has now taken six teams to the NCAA Tournament — a record for a Division I coach.
He boasts seven trips to the Final Four and led Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013) to national championships, though the latter was vacated due to a sex scandal involving recruits that was allegedly arranged by a former member of Pitino’s staff.
The resurgent Red Storm went 30-4 this season behind a roster Pitino largely built through the transfer portal.
RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor both transferred to St. John’s as sophomores before Pitino’s first season in Queens, then delivered breakout campaigns this year. Senior guards Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith and Aaron Scott each transferred last offseason.
“We’ve adapted to the NIL the last two years. Now it’s gonna change,” Pitino told McAfee, referring to the 2021 rule change that allows NCAA players to profit from their names, images and likenesses.
“It’s gonna go to revenue-sharing by the schools. Each school gets $22 million. Football will dominate the pool because they have more players. Here’s the luxury we have, along with the other 10 Big East members: We don’t have football, so the revenue-sharing will come more into basketball.”
Iona overhaul
Pitino’s replacement at Iona lasted only two seasons.
On Monday, Iona fired head coach Tobin Anderson, who went 16-17 last year and 17-17 this season.
The Gaels lost, 63-49, to Mount St. Mary in the MAAC championship game on Saturday.
“With the impact of NIL changing college basketball in ways no one could have imagined, Iona feels the need to shift the direction of our men’s basketball program,” Athletic Director Matthew Glovaski said in a statement.
Anderson took the Iona job shortly after he led No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson to a 63-58 victory over No. 1 Purdue in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament — one of the most shocking upsets in college basketball history.
Monday marked the two-year anniversary of that game.
Iona did not make the NCAA Tournament under Anderson after advancing to the Big Dance in two of Pitino’s three seasons there.
Storm surge
St. John’s is up to No. 5 in the AP poll.
That’s the Red Storm’s highest ranking since January of 1991.
St. John’s moved up one spot after winning the Big East Tournament over the weekend.
The only schools ahead of St. John’s are No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Auburn.
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