Rick Pitino’s magic keeps on working; just ask Providence basketball

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PROVIDENCE — Rick Pitino sat in his huddle flashing back to a certain February night in 1994.

Kentucky trailed by 31 points at LSU with 15:34 to play, and all hope appeared to be lost. What followed was one of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history, as the Wildcats stunned the Tigers with a barrage of 3-pointers and pressure defense.

Tony Delk, Rodrick Rhodes, Walter McCarty, Jeff Sheppard and Travis Ford weren’t walking through the door on Friday at Amica Mutual Pavilion. But it was partly that experience that helped Pitino convince his current St. John’s team to believe.

St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts to game against the Providence Friars Friday night.

Providence College wilted after building a 16-point lead late in the first half. Zuby Ejiofor’s put-back at the buzzer gave the Red Storm a 72-70 win, and the former Friars coach enjoyed another memorable moment in the building he called home for a special two-season tenure in the 1980s.

“It’s nothing,” Pitino said. “You’re going to come back and win this game. Just be patient. Take your time. One possession at a time.”

St. John’s is off to a 10-2 start in Pitino’s second season in Queens, including a 2-0 mark in the Big East. This was considerably more difficult than an opening 89-61 blowout of DePaul earlier in the week. It wasn’t quite as challenging as that 99-95 classic three decades ago in Baton Rouge, a game that helped set the stage for an SEC Tournament championship run and NCAA Tournament berth in March.

“We feel that we’re turning a corner in a lot of areas,” Pitino said. “All I talked about at halftime — screaming at them, actually — was knowing how to handle adversity in life. You’ve got to stop getting down about a missed free throw. You’ve got to stop getting down about a missed shot.

“This is the road, and the road is tough. Every Big East team lost on the road. Give them credit — they played a great half — and win the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rick-pitinos-magic-keeps-working-101510616.html

Author : The Providence Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-23 10:15:00

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