Rick Pitino - Head Coach at St John’s University!!!

I have to admit as good as it feels to have Pitino now, it just makes the last 20 years of mediocrity look so pointless. We could have paid him 5 mill a year then and he would have take care of everything basketball and close to it.

Guys like Cal and Pitino are incapable of just being average and their rising tide lifts all boats nearby: admissions, fundraising, other sports, alumni involvement, enthusiasm, etc.

Even if you made him the highest coach in college basketball x 2 he would have bright that back and some.
 
I’m one for tempering expectations but I will say, in terms of roster construction, there’s nothing we don’t have that would prohibit us from being a top 10 team. Would a whole bunch of everything need to go right for that to happen? Yeah, but it won’t be because we don’t have enough height, or enough depth, or enough shooting. It might be because we don’t have the chemistry that some teams possibly have.

Over last 15 years we’ve had some talented teams but seemed nearly all of them had a weakness that was known going in. No depth with Dlo. No size with Shamorie. No shooting last year. You guys get the point. This team doesn’t have one of those obvious weaknesses that might prevent them from truly competing at the top level. Just some unknowns that will determine how far they might go. I think this beats anything else I’ve had as a St. John’s fan.
 
Amaseinyourface said:
I’m one for tempering expectations but I will say, in terms of roster construction, there’s nothing we don’t have that would prohibit us from being a top 10 team. Would a whole bunch of everything need to go right for that to happen? Yeah, but it won’t be because we don’t have enough height, or enough depth, or enough shooting. It might be because we don’t have the chemistry that some teams possibly have.

Over last 15 years we’ve had some talented teams but seemed nearly all of them had a weakness that was known going in. No depth with Dlo. No size with Shamorie. No shooting last year. You guys get the point. This team doesn’t have one of those obvious weaknesses that might prevent them from truly competing at the top level. Just some unknowns that will determine how far they might go. I think this beats anything else I’ve had as a St. John’s fan.
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Extremely well said. Might add we also don’t have a question mark with the coaching which is why I’m more confident than ever about this team. I don’t think we are gonna lose a ton and as of yet I don’t see the usual excuses why we are losing as well. I’ll add even categories like FT shooting, outside of Zuby, we should be tops in the country. We have all the tools.
 
Marillac2 said:
I have to admit as good as it feels to have Pitino now, it just makes the last 20 years of mediocrity look so pointless. We could have paid him 5 mill a year then and he would have take care of everything basketball and close to it.

Guys like Cal and Pitino are incapable of just being average and their rising tide lifts all boats nearby: admissions, fundraising, other sports, alumni involvement, enthusiasm, etc.

Even if you made him the highest coach in college basketball x 2 he would have bright that back and some.
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Please don't compare, or use Calapari's name ib the same sentence as Pitino's. He is not on the same level. Cal recruited pros and let them play. Pitimo recruited players and molded and coach them, into an extremely successful "program".. Wall, Davis, Cousins, were pros before they got to Kentucky. Pitino took good players, Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, etc, and built and sustained a formidable program.
 
Marillac2 said:
I have to admit as good as it feels to have Pitino now, it just makes the last 20 years of mediocrity look so pointless. We could have paid him 5 mill a year then and he would have take care of everything basketball and close to it.

Guys like Cal and Pitino are incapable of just being average and their rising tide lifts all boats nearby: admissions, fundraising, other sports, alumni involvement, enthusiasm, etc.

Even if you made him the highest coach in college basketball x 2 he would have bright that back and some.
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When could SJU have had Pitino previous? Outside of 2019 (after pushing out Mullin) when was there ever a realistic time they could have hired Rick?
 
Here is the way I see it with regards to coaching changes starting with Looie stepping down:

1)1992-Pitino is at Kentucky, to be fair SJU is considered a good job at this point but Rick is not leaving UK for SJU. UK is a better job and he at that point has UK poised to be back among the elite in CBB.

2)1996-Not a chance Rick leaves UK at this point. He just won the NC and he has them absolutely rolling.

3)1998-Rick just left a year earlier to take the Celtics job and become the highest paid coach in NBA history. 0.000 shot he leaves the Celtics for SJU.

4)2004-Rick is already at Louisville, A top 10 job, SJU job is not on that level especially at this point. No way he is leaving. In fact I believe he publicly pushed Gonzo for the job. Either way not happening. But to be fair Calipari was available. And wanted the job. In retrospect that was the splashy hire to make.

5)2010-Again Rick is at Louisville and by now they are in the BE. He is not leaving Louisville for SJU. Not happening.

6)2015-Again he is still at Louisville basically on a lifetime contract. SJU screws up here by not hiring Danny Hurley who absolutely could have been had.

7)2019-This is where they could have taken a chance. He is in Greece. He would have had interest but SJU went the safe route again. He still has the pending NCAA investigation over his head which is why it would have taken some guts but it could have been done.
 
panther2 said:
Please don't compare, or use Calapari's name ib the same sentence as Pitino's. He is not on the same level. Cal recruited pros and let them play. Pitimo recruited players and molded and coach them, into an extremely successful "program".. Wall, Davis, Cousins, were pros before they got to Kentucky. Pitino took good players, Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, etc, and built and sustained a formidable program.
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Great comment , Panther . The Pitino Coaching rise to Excellence rose with his Providence team in 1987. That team with Billy Donavan , Marty Conlan weren’t loaded with All Stars but , Rick turned them into a over achieving success story .
 
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