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SAN DIEGO – Before he had even turned 45 years old, coach Rick Pitino published a book in 1997 that included his advice about aging.
“The older we get, the more we must change,” said the book entitled Success is a Choice. “Change is what keeps us fresh and innovative. Change is what keeps us from getting stale and stuck in a rut. Change is what keeps us young.”
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Nearly 30 years later, we can see what he means. Pitino, now 73, is taking St. John’s to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Friday against No. 1-seed Duke. It’s the fourth school he’s taken to the Sweet 16. It’s also the fifth decade he’s taken a team this far.
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So how does he do it?
Part of it relates to that advice in his book. But there’s more. And much of it was on display in San Diego recently, when his team won two NCAA Tournament games. Here are five traits that set him apart, backed by evidence and anecdotes from the past weekend:
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball road
Rick Pitino celebrates a Providence win in the 1987 NCAA Tournament.
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball road
Rick Pitino celebrates a Providence win in the 1987 NCAA Tournament.
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball road
Head coach Rick Pitino of the New York Knicks receives a technical foul from the referee during a Knicks versus Los Angeles Lakers game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. in 1987.
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball road
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Rick Pitino yells during a game against the Syracuse Orangemen. Syracuse won the game, 93-85 on Feb. 12, 1994.
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball road
Kentucky’s Walter McCarty hugs coach Rick Pitino in the last few minutes of a victory over Wake Forest on March 23, 1996 in the NCAA Midwest Championship.
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball road
Kentucky coach Rick Pitino directs his team against South Carolina at Rupp Arena on March 2, 1997.
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See Rick Pitino’s long and winding basketball…
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Publish date : 2026-03-25 09:09:00
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