March Madness: Rick Pitino has No. 2 seed St. John’s back in NCAAs after latest coaching revival

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NEW YORK (AP) — Standing in the middle of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, confetti sticking to his suit, Rick Pitino was asked about his remarkable basketball odyssey and latest Big East championship.

“I saved the best for last,” the 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach pronounced, bringing a March Madness roar from thousands of St. John’s fans hanging on his every word.

In that merry moment of pride and joy, at the center of a nationally televised New York City coronation, it was almost easy to forget that five years ago Pitino was coaching in Greece — exiled from college athletics following multiple scandals at Louisville.

Even two years ago, he was still toiling (and winning, of course) at suburban Iona in a mid-major conference positioned well below the proverbial radar.

And now here he was, back home in the Big Apple and toast of the town, nine days removed from a guest spot with his resurgent team on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Talk about a dramatic comeback late in overtime.

“I just really feel that adversity is a temporary thing that you could rally from,” Pitino told The Associated Press. “I’m coaching over 50 years. You’re going to have ups and downs. But it’s what you do with the downs. And it’s what you do with the success stories.”

There’s been no bigger success story in New York this winter — or college basketball, for that matter — than Pitino and the fifth-ranked Red Storm.

After winning the program’s first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, and first conference tournament championship in a quarter-century, St. John’s (30-4) is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

That makes Pitino the first coach to take six schools to the Big Dance; the others were Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona.

“I think the common denominator is work ethic and passion. That’s never changed. Styles of play change,” said Pitino, in his second season at St. John’s.

“So, you’re always…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/march-madness-rick-pitino-no-230418764.html

Author : MIKE FITZPATRICK

Publish date : 2025-03-18 23:04:00

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