St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino Joins Exclusive Club With Latest Accomplishment
It takes a certain kind of obsession to spend 50 years on a sideline, screaming until your voice is gravel, sweating through expensive suits, and convincing 19-year-olds to run through brick walls for you. But that obsession is exactly why Rick Pitino is still here.
On a Saturday night in Cincinnati, amidst the deafening noise of the Cintas Center, the 73-year-old coaching legend didn’t just notch another “W” in the column. He etched his name onto an extremely short list of immortals, securing his 900th career on-court victory. And in a script that would make a Hollywood screenwriter roll their eyes for being too on-the-nose, he did it against his own flesh and blood.
St. John’s 88-83 victory over Xavier wasn’t just a win; it was a testament to the endurance of a man who simply refuses to quit.
The Pitino Family Reunion Turn’s Into a Battle
You have to wonder what the pre-game text messages looked like. Rick Pitino wasn’t just facing any Big East rival; he was staring down the Xavier bench at his son, Richard Pitino. Richard, in his first season with the Musketeers, had his team ready to play spoiler.
For a while, it looked like the son might finally get the best of the father on a big stage. Xavier came out swinging, burying the Red Storm in a 16-point hole in the second half. At halftime, St. John’s looked flat, trailing 49-37. The narrative was writing itself: The old lion finally gets taken down by the cub.
But Rick Pitino teams have a specific DNA. They are annoying, relentless, and they thrive on chaos. Down 16 with just over 17 minutes to play, the Red Storm didn’t fold; they got angry.
A Second Half For the History Books
“Not once did they not believe they were going to win this game,” Pitino said afterward. St. John’s unleashed a furious 16-1 run that silenced the Cincinnati crowd. It was classic Pitino basketball—suffocating pressure, transition buckets, and a refusal to let the opponent breathe. Dylan Darling, a name that will now live in St. John’s lore, buried a gutsy 3-pointer with 53 seconds left to give the Red Storm the lead for good. Ruben Prey followed it up with a putback layup that felt like the final nail in the coffin.
When the buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 88-83. The father had won again. Rick is now 4-1 all-time against Richard. Thanksgiving dinner might be a little awkward this year, but Richard took the loss with grace, acknowledging that seeing his dad healthy and winning at 73 matters more than the scoreboard.
Joining the Coaching Mount Rushmore
Let’s put this number in perspective. 900 wins. That is an absurd amount of basketball. With this victory, Pitino breaks his tie with the legendary Bob Knight to take sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Division I wins list. The only names ahead of him? Roy Williams (903), Jim Boeheim (1,015), and Mike Krzyzewski (1,202).
That is the company he keeps. It’s the coaching Mount Rushmore. And if you ask Pitino what’s next, he doesn’t talk about retirement or golf courses. When TNT’s Andy Katz asked him what was left to achieve, Pitino didn’t hesitate. One word, delivered with a smirk: “1,000.”
Why Pitino Still Matters
It is easy to get caught up in the baggage. The vacated wins at Louisville, the scandals, the exile to Greece to coach Panathinaikos. A lesser coach, a less obsessed coach, would have packed it in years ago. But Pitino clawed his way back, first turning Iona into a mid-major powerhouse and now resurrecting St. John’s in the Big East.
“I’ve got a great family, great wife, who have kept me young,” Pitino said. “They allow me to work with these guys, 12, 13 hours a day, and I’m just enjoying it more than ever.”
That’s the secret. He’s 73, but he’s still working 13-hour days because he loves the grind. He loves the puzzle. And clearly, the game still loves him back.
St. John’s is now 15-5 and sitting pretty at 8-1 in the conference, breathing down UConn’s neck. The Red Storm are rolling, riding a six-game winning streak. They aren’t just a cute story about an old coach; they are a legitimate threat.
As the team mobbed him on the court, you could see it. The suit was probably rumpled, the hair perhaps a bit thinner than the Kentucky days, but the fire? The fire was burning just as hot as it did in 1987. Rick Pitino has 900 wins, and he’s not done yet.
