Rick Pitino is 73. He has 885 career wins. He has nothing left to prove. Yet, here he is, stalking the sidelines at Madison Square Garden with the same frantic energy of a man whose rent is due tomorrow.
The move to Queens wasn't supposed to be easy. It was supposed to be a revitalization project, a "last dance" of sorts in the world’s most famous arena. But honestly, it’s turned into something much more complex.
It’s about NIL deals, transfer portal wars, and a legendary coach trying to prove he can still out-work guys half his age.
The 31-Win Mirage and the 2024-25 Peak
If you looked at the box scores last year, you’d think everything was perfect. Rick Pitino St. John's was the hottest ticket in New York. They went 31-5. They won the Big East regular-season title for the first time in 40 years. Pitino won the Henry Iba Award as National Coach of the Year.
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The Johnnies were dominant. They didn't just win; they embarrassed people. They had a scoring margin of +17.7 in the Big East Tournament.
Zuby Ejiofor was a monster on the glass, leading the nation in offensive rebounds per game. Kadary Richmond looked like the perfect Pitino guard. Fans were whispering about a Final Four.
Then Arkansas happened.
A 10-seed upset the Red Storm in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and suddenly, the 31 wins felt like a lifetime ago. The "frailties" Pitino often talks about were exposed.
Why the Roster Flip Was Necessary (and Controversial)
Pitino doesn't do "slow builds." He doesn't have the patience for it.
Following that 31-win season, he basically blew up the roster. He replaced eight of his top nine scorers. That’s not a transition; it’s an extraction.
He went heavy into the portal, bringing in the No. 1 transfer class in the country. We're talking about guys like:
- Ian Jackson: The Bronx native who came home from North Carolina.
- Bryce Hopkins: The Providence star who is arguably the most versatile wing in the Big East when healthy.
- Dillon Mitchell: A former five-star prospect from Texas/Cincinnati who plays "point-forward."
- Joson Sanon: A high-upside shooter from Arizona State.
It’s an expensive roster. Rumor has it the NIL budget is north of $10 million. Pitino himself recently told WFAN that while he's the one raising the money, the "pay means nothing" to the players once they're on the court. He treats them like pros because, in this era, they sort of are.
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The Drama Nobody Talks About: The GM Firing
You can't talk about Rick Pitino St. John's right now without mentioning the chaos behind the scenes. Just this month, the university fired General Manager Matt Abdelmassih.
This was a shocker. Abdelmassih was the architect of the roster. He was the guy negotiating the NIL deals.
When asked about it after a 92-68 win over Marquette on January 13, 2026, Pitino was classic Pitino. He told reporters the school told him "don't ask any questions." He called it "not a big deal," but you could tell it riled him.
He’s currently operating without his right-hand man while trying to navigate a Big East where UConn and Villanova are breathing down his neck.
The Current State of the Storm (January 2026)
As of today, January 16, 2026, the Red Storm are 12-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play. They’re sitting in third place in the Big East.
They’re scoring 86 points a game, which is second in the league. But Pitino isn't happy. He’s never happy.
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He recently scolded a reporter for asking about a tight first half against Marquette. "Can't you ever give the other team some credit?" he snapped. He’s defensive because he knows the expectations in New York are suffocating.
The team is talented, but they've struggled to play a full 40 minutes. They lost to Kentucky in December—a game where Pitino lamented his failure to recruit a true "pure" point guard. They lost to a middling Providence team to open the 2026 calendar year.
What Most People Get Wrong About Pitino in Queens
People think Pitino is just here for the paycheck or the spotlight. They’re wrong.
He’s obsessed with "player development sessions." He holds them every morning, Monday through Friday. He takes guys who aren't top-10 recruits and tries to fix their jumpers or their defensive footwork.
He’s also shifting his philosophy. For a long time, he said he wouldn't recruit high school kids anymore. "I want older players," he’d say.
But look at the 2025-26 class. He just landed four-star guard Adam Oumiddoch from Overtime Elite. He has four freshmen on the current roster, including Kelvin Odih and a trio of Europeans: Fotis Konstantinidis (Greece), Imran Suljanovic (Austria), and Casper Pohto (Sweden).
Maybe he's realizing that even in the portal era, you need a foundation.
Actionable Insights for the Rest of the Season
If you're betting on or following St. John's, watch these three things:
- The Health of Bryce Hopkins: He’s the "high-ceiling wild card." If his knee holds up, St. John's is a Final Four threat. If not, they're just another good Big East team.
- The "Point-Forward" Experiment: With no elite traditional point guard, Pitino is using Dillon Mitchell to bring the ball up. It’s unconventional and prone to turnovers.
- The Post-GM Transition: How the program handles recruiting and NIL without Abdelmassih will define the next six months.
The road doesn't get easier. St. John's faces Villanova this Saturday night. It’s a battle for second place in the conference.
Pitino is 73, but he’s coaching like his life depends on this next win. In New York, it usually does.