Adrian Wojnarowski and Pete Thamel2:48 PM ET3 Minute Read
LaPhonso Ellis applauds St. John’s hiring of Rick Pitino
LaPhonso Ellis has high hopes for Rick Pitino at St. John’s.
Iona coach Rick Pitino has been named the new St. John’s coach and returns to the Big East Conference with ambitions to bring Red Storm back to national prominence.
The school announced Pitino’s hiring but gave no terms. Sources told ESPN that Pitino has agreed to a six-year deal.
He will be introduced at a press conference in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday afternoon.
Pitino told his Gaels team at a meeting Monday afternoon that he was leaving the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference roster, which he had led to two NCAA tournament appearances in his three seasons.
Pitino thanked the Iona administration and its players in a series of tweets on Monday.
“…I’m not sad that it ended. I’m so thankful it happened,” he tweeted, adding, “To my players, the last three years. All I can say is that you know how much I love you.”
St. John’s have courted the 70-year-old Pitino fervently since he recently sacked manager Mike Anderson, earning him what is said to be a lucrative financial package.
Pitino is the only coach to lead three programs to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville) and win national titles with Kentucky and Louisville.
At a meeting with St. John’s officials Sunday, Pitino laid out his vision for the program, a source told ESPN. Pitino spoke to officials about the school’s commitment, as sources said he would take the job with intentions to compete for the Big East championships and national title. This requires significant support both for the program and in the name, image, and similarity space. The two sides discussed what is needed for the future program.
Pitino will be St. John’s most decorated coach since Lou Carnesecca retired in 1992. Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach who has competed in seven Final Fours.
St. John’s has made two Final Fours in its history and has reached just three NCAA tournaments since 2002. In addition to winning two national titles, Pitino has coached in 23 NCAA tournaments.
In this span since 2002, St. John’s has served as head coaches through Mike Jarvis, Norm Roberts, Steve Lavin, Chris Mullin and Anderson.
A native of New York, Pitino trained with the Knicks as an assistant to Hubie Brown and as the franchise’s head coach from 1987-1989. His return to the city will give an immediate boost to the school’s importance in the local sports scene, which it has faded in recent years.
Pitino’s career and the St. John’s program seem to intersect at a time when they need each other. Louisville fired Pitino in October 2017 following an FBI probe into college basketball corruption, which eventually led to a job in Greece before taking over Iona’s position in 2020.