Rick Pitino: The Catalyst Behind St. John's Revival

The St. John’s Red Storm have stormed into first place in the Big East and are ranked at No. 20 in the country.

The team has not seen this sort of success since the early ‘90s when the late Lou Carnesecca was the man roaming the sidelines for the Johnnies.

Since Carnesecca’s tenure ended in 1991, St. John’s has made the NCAA Tournament only eight times, and their last deep tournament run was in 1999 when they advanced to the Elite Eight.

The Red Storm are currently 17-3, marking their best start in 39 years and have achieved their highest ranking since 2014 when St. John’s reached No. 15.

What’s the reason behind this revival? Look no further than legendary head coach Rick Pitino. The two-time national champion head coach is no stranger to the Big East, as he was the coach for the Providence Friars from 1985-87.

He even took one of his Providence squads to a Final Four in 1987, where they lost to fellow Big East mates Syracuse.

Wherever Pitino goes, winning follows.

Since Pitino’s head coaching career started, he has made the NCAA Tournament at every stop. He has also won 10 regular-season conference titles and 14 conference tournament titles.

Pitino took the St. John’s job before the 2023 season after former coach Mike Anderson was fired following four mediocre seasons that saw the Red Storm go over .500 only once in Big East play.

In Pitino’s first season, he had already had more success than his predecessor, going 20-13 with an 11-9 mark in Big East play. St. John’s even won their first Big East Tournament game over Seton Hall.

Pitino had the Red Storm on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament last year, and early on it looks like he’ll have his squad contending for the Big East crown and eyeing the tournament.

ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi, famous for his “bracketology,” currently has St. John’s as the seventh seed in the west playing 10-seed Vanderbilt.

The team has four guys averaging double-digits in points, led by RJ Luis Jr., who averages 17.8 points per game. He is dominating in Big East play, averaging 18.8 PPG.

The straw that stirs the drink for this squad, however, is Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond.

The senior guard averages 11.2 PPG this year but is a great playmaker. He averages 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while also contributing nicely on the defensive end with 1.9 steals per game.

The man who handles the sharpshooting duties is Utah transfer Deivon Smith, who is shooting a great 39.2% from beyond the arc.

Rick Pitino has built a solid squad, and it will be fun to see just how far he can take them into postseason play.

Evan Pochas is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ejp5753@psu.edu.