Calipari, Pitino not close however share ‘fantastic’ regard

• Mike ReissMar 21, 2025, 08:09 PM ET Close Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots given that 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was called Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.PROVIDENCE, R.I.– Rick Pitino

vs. John Calipari, Round 5. It’s on.The two decorated, animated coaches will be center stage when Pitino leads No. 2 seed St. John’s versus Calipari and No. 10 Arkansas in the second round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament Saturday at Amica Mutual Pavilion.Mutual respect? Absolutely.A friendship? Not so fast.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated”I certainly have

fantastic regard for him, however we’re not really close. Everybody attempted to talk that way,”Pitino said Friday,

the day after St. John’s conquered early jitters against No. 15 seed Omaha before pulling away with a dominant second half to win by 30 and set up the matchup with Arkansas.”I do not know a whole lot about him except he’s a fantastic basketball coach. At an extremely young age, I understood him actually well … but years have passed

and I do not think we have been to supper one time in our lifetime.”But they’ve been on the sideline as opposing collegiate head coaches 23 times in general, with Calipari holding a 13-10 edge.As for the NCAA tournament, Saturday’s fifth matchup between the 72-year-old Pitino and 66-year-old Calipari ties for the 2nd most between two head coaches in tourney history– one behind Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. Pitino won the first two, Calipari the most recent two.”He’s on Chapter 2 of his new book, and we’re on Chapter 1,”Calipari said, in referral to Pitino’s second season at St. John’s and his first at Arkansas, which pulled away in the last minutes

to beat No. 7 seed Kansas on Thursday to advance.”It’s both of us writing another story and having the ability to return here. “St. John’s (31-4)has the country’s No. 1 defense and is on a nine-game winning streak. Arkansas(21-13 )played among its best games of the season Thursday, led by Jonas Aidoo’s 22 points.Both coaches reflected Friday on the story of how they initially linked– at the Five-Star Basketball Camp when Calipari was a camper and Pitino a therapist. Calipari said he appreciated Pitino at that time, and later on remembered Pitino returning as a speaker when he became a counselor.Pitino remembered how he advocated for Calipari to land his very first head-coaching job at UMass, his alma mater, in 1988. He acknowledged he never would have imagined Calipari would lead the once-dormant program to a No. 1 ranking, which included a journey to the Final

4 in 1996 when Pitino’s Kentucky squad defeated Calipari’s upstart Minutemen.”We’re both Italian. We both like the game. I believe that’s basically where the resemblances end.”Rick Pitino on John Calipari Calipari’s time at Memphis(2000-09) and then Kentucky (2009-24)accompanied Pitino’s at Louisville(2001-17), which added more compelling chapters to the history in between them.”He was at Louisville, I was at Kentucky– you’re not going to be buddies when you got those two tasks,” Calipari stated Friday. “You’re not going to be enemies but … you understand, I appreciate coaches that can really do this well, and if you can do it over a long, extended period of time, I actually respect you.”Calipari stated he has long studied Pitino and

kept in mind how his groups constantly “play hard and with a winning mindset.”At the exact same time, the distance in between them was evident when Calipari was asked Friday what he thought about Pitino imploring Kentucky fans not to boo Calipari upon his go back to Rupp Arena for the very first time given that his departure in early February.”

I would rather have a Christmas card, however that was nice of him,”Calipari said.Said Pitino:”We’re both Italian. We both love the game. I believe that’s pretty much where the similarities end. “