Rick Pitino has seen and done it all in hoops. He’s doing it again for St. John’s in March Madness

SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Dylan Darling drove the lane and beat the buzzer with a thrilling layup last Sunday to send St. John’s to its first Sweet 16 of the 21st century, Rick Pitino did not celebrate in the moment.

While his players exploded off the bench and tackled Darling in front of the St. John’s band at Viejas Arena, an expressionless Pitino touched the lapel of his sharp suit and stoically walked the other way, alongside the crushed Jayhawks, to shake hands with Bill Self, his fellow Hall of Fame coach.

Advertisement

Pitino’s muted response in an impossibly dramatic NCAA Tournament moment went viral. It was a reaction rooted in a half-century of experience in a job where the pain of loss is almost always stronger than the pleasure of victory, and Pitino’s empathy for Kansas and Self was praised.

Yet as Pitino will tell anybody who asks, he’s still having the time of his life this season with the Red Storm (30-6), who are headed to Washington this week to take on top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinals.

Pitino celebrated that unforgettable win over Kansas, but he did it minutes later with his players — and he was already looking forward to all the big moments yet to come.

“I’m so jubilant,” Pitino said. “So happy for the fellas. We’ve taken another step now, so it’s just awesome. Proud of our guys. And now it’s just starting. The fun is just starting.”

Advertisement

The 73-year-old Pitino knows he is closer to the end than the start of an epic coaching career, but it’s also far from over. And there are still so many horizons ahead.

No coach has ever led four different schools to a Final Four, but St. John’s is two victories away — starting Friday against Duke, a No. 1 overall seed that looked slightly shaky last weekend.

Pitino’s non-reaction to Darling’s game-winner was rooted in empathy, but also memory. Pitino was the losing coach when Duke’s Christian Laettner hit his unforgettable jumper to beat Kentucky in the 1992 tournament.

That memory still stings, but Pitino is also looking forward with gratitude and humor.

Advertisement

“I’m hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rick-pitino-seen-done-hoops-193110879.html

Author : GREG BEACHAM

Publish date : 2026-03-24 19:31:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.