Pitino invited at St
NEW YORK CITY– The video banner above the entrance to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday read: “Invite Rick Pitino.”
More like welcome back for the new St. John’s coach.Back to the Garden, where he once coached the Knicks.Back to the Big East
, the conference that introduced his fame and where he won his latest NCAA championship.Back to big-time college
basketball after a series of scandals made it appear as if that part of his career was over.”So, when I went to Iona, I stated that Iona was going to be my last job,”Pitino said at his introductory press conference at MSG.”And the reason I stated that is who’s going to employ a 70-year-old? No matter how much I believe I’m Peter Pan, who’s going to work with a 70-year-old? “Editor’s Picks 2 Related St. John’s provided the Hall of Famer a six-year contract to reverse the clock on a program
that once stole New York City tabloid headlines away from the Knicks in the 1980s under coach Lou Carnesecca however has been bogged down in mediocrity for more than 2 decades.The Red Storm once played most of their greatest house games at the Garden. Pitino stated the objective is to have all their Big East games played there going forward. “Lou constructed a famous program. Legendary,”Pitino said. “I’m all-in with whatever that St. John means. I’m excited about it. I can’t wait to get started.”And it’s going to begin with a culture of work. “Pitino, who was born in New York City and matured on Long Island, has won 832 games in 34 complete seasons as a college head coach, including NCAA champions at Kentucky in 1996
and Louisville in 2013. The title at Louisville was left due to the fact that of NCAA offenses, and another NCAA case associated with the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting led to Pitino being fired
by Louisville in 2017. The last judgment from the NCAA’s outside enforcement arm on the FBI case boiled down in November and exonerated Pitino.There was likewise a criminal extortion case in which Pitino was the victim during his time
at Louisville that exposed personal indiscretions.”Well, it does not matter what you believe, what you do not believe,” Pitino stated.
“The something all my players have actually said, because they all wrote letters for me: I’ve never ever cheated the game. I never gave a player anything that he didn’t be worthy of in life.”The St. John’s president, the Rev. Brian Shanley, said the decision to employ Pitino was his call.”Yeah, sure, there’s some reputational risk due to the fact that of things that have happened before, however I believe Rick is at a point in his life where he’s gained from things that have actually occurred in the past,”Shanley told The Associated Press. “I believe he ‘d be the very first one to tell you he’s done things that he regrets. Who doesn’t when you get to be that age? I understand I have. I’m a follower in forgiveness and new beginnings as a priest, and I think Rick’s going to do a great job for St. John’s.” Carnesecca, 98 and navigating with the help of a walker nowadays, sat in the front row of Pitino’s press conference. “I think it’s a home run with the bases packed,” Carnesecca said.Carnesecca was one of the Big East’s brightest coaching stars, along with Georgetown’s John Thompson and Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, when Pitino became Providence head coach in 1985 at the age of 32.Thirty-eight years later, Pitino’s Providence ties helped him land at St. John’s
after 3 seasons at Iona, a little Catholic school in New Rochelle,
just north of New York City.Shanley formerly was the president of Providence. He helped turn around a lagging males’s basketball program by hiring coach Ed Cooley and purchasing centers upgrades.
“If I wasn’t a Providence Friar, he would have never ever even considered it, “Pitino said.Shanley attempted to tempt Pitino far from Louisville and back to Providence years back, however he didn’t know much about the coach
personally at that time. He stated he spoke to a lot of people about Pitino this time around.”I ‘d state my behind-the-scenes wisdom person was Mike Tranghese, the previous commissioner of the Big East,”Shanley stated. “He got me Ed Cooley last time, and I believe we came out quite well this time, too
.”Cooley was employed by Georgetown on Monday.Pitino said he’s bringing his entire personnel with him from Iona, which earlier in the day revealed the hiring of Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tobin Anderson to change Pitino.Pitino will attempt to become the first coach to take 6 schools to the NCAA competition as he gets one more shot on the big stage.”I deserve it,”he said,”due to the fact that I’ve earned it.”