St. John’s basketball HC Rick Pitino’s 900th win gets Red Storm back into Top 25

The latest AP Top 25 in college basketball is out, and the St. John’s basketball team is back in the rankings. The Red Storm stormed back into the rankings after they had a huge come-from-behind win against Xavier. The game was a massive milestone because Rick Pitino reached 900 wins, and it was a big game because it was against his son, Richard. He has also shown no signs of slowing down yet.

The Red Storm jumped back in the Top 25, but at the very end, ranked at No. 25. They are 15-5 after their win against the Musketeers. Pitino also admitted that becoming the fourth coach to reach 900 on-court Division 1 victories was something to savor. St. John’s rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to defeat Xavier 88-83 on Saturday.

“My son, it doesn’t matter,” Pitino said about the win coming against his son. “The great thing is I could spend time with him and the grandkids.”

It is worth noting that the NCAA officially recognizes Rick Pitino with only 777 wins, after stripping him of 123 wins due to infractions at Louisville. Still, his record through 38 seasons stands at 900-316, dating back to his time as Hawaii’s interim head coach in 1976.

He is the only coach to win an NCAA title at two schools (Kentucky and Louisville) and the first to take three schools to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville). He’s also the only coach to take six schools to the NCAA tournament, including Boston University, Iona, and St. John’s, as well as the other three he took to the Final Four.

“But 900 means that I’ve had longevity. I spent 10 years in the pros. And so, 900 with 10 years in the pros is really something I’m very thankful to all my players and assistant coaches for helping me get there,” he said.

His son, Richard Pitino, was also one of his assistants at Louisville for three seasons and said he was happy for his dad, even though the win came at his expense.

“I’m happy for him that he won 900. I think he’s the best coach to ever coach college basketball. He’d have a lot more if he had stayed at Kentucky,” Richard Pitino said.

The post St. John’s basketball HC Rick Pitino’s 900th win gets Red Storm back into Top 25 appeared first on ClutchPoints.