St. John's University Athletics
Men's Basketball
Pitino, Rick
Rick Pitino
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 6225
One of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history, two-time national champion Rick Pitino was named the 22nd head coach in the history of St. John's Men’s Basketball program on March 20, 2023.
A 2013 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with more than five decades of coaching experience, Pitino has established a stellar reputation for excellence on the court and a dedication to student-athlete academic success over his 37 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Pitino, who owns an 885-311 (.740) career head coaching record, has made 24 NCAA Tournament appearances with six different schools and advanced to the Final Four seven times, a total reached by only six coaches all-time. His 885 victories rank fifth all-time in Division I heading into 2025-26.
Pitino became the first coach to take three different schools to the Final Four and is the only coach to win an NCAA Championship at two different schools (1996 Kentucky and 2013 Louisville). He is one of only four coaches to ever reach the Final Four in four separate decades. With a 55-22 record in the NCAA Tournament, Pitino holds the second-highest winning percentage in NCAA Tournament games (.714) among all active coaches. Off the court, he has served as a charitable benefactor for a broad spectrum of worthy causes, often choosing to do so anonymously.
In just two seasons at St. John’s, Pitino has taken a downtrodden program and returned it to its rightful status as a regional and national power. After reaching the 20-win plateau, advancing to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals and narrowly missing an NCAA Tournament berth with a roster that featured 12 newcomers in 2023-24, Pitino’s squad took a monumental leap in 2024-25.
This past season, the Red Storm finished with an overall record of 31-5, matching a program record set by the 1984-85 and 1985-86 squads. After equaling a BIG EAST record with 18 league wins during the regular season, St. John’s captured the outright BIG EAST Regular Season title for the first time in 40 years before running through the BIG EAST Tournament to claim its first postseason conference crown since 2000. The Red Storm earned a no. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, taking down Omaha in the first round for the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000. St. John’s was ranked in each of the last nine Associated Press regular season polls, rising as high as no. 5 for the first time since the 1990-91.
For his efforts, Pitino captured his first BIG EAST Coach of the Year honor before being named the United States Basketball Writers Association National Coach of the Year (Henry Iba Award), Associated Press National Coach of the Year and Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year. Pitino also earned Coach of the Year honors from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, an award named in honor of his St. John’s predecessor Lou Carnesecca.
2024-25 marked Pitino’s ninth 30-win season as a college head coach and his 29th campaign with at least 20 victories.
Pitino’s teams have won 15 tournament championships and he owns a collective 59-17 conference tournament record (.776). At Kentucky, his teams posted an incredible 17-1 Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament mark. His coaching resume also features three BIG EAST Tournament titles while at Louisville in 2009, 2012 and 2013. In addition, Pitino has mentored 32 players who were drafted or have played in the NBA. His 1996 NCAA Championship team at Kentucky featured seven future NBA performers.
Pitino joined the Red Storm after three seasons at Iona, where he led the Gaels to a 64-22 overall record with a 40-9 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). A two-time MAAC Coach of the Year, Pitino led the Gaels to a pair of MAAC regular season titles and two MAAC Tournament championships. Iona made trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2023 and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2022.
Before Iona, Pitino coached parts of two seasons for Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague, leading the team to the 2019 Greek Cup title in his first season.
From 2001-17, Pitino spent 16 seasons as head coach at Louisville and led the Cardinals to a 416-143 overall record. While at Louisville, he took the Cards to the NCAA Tournament 13 times. Under Pitino, Louisville advanced to seven Sweet 16s, six Elite Eights, three Final Fours and a National Championship. The Cardinals set a school record with 35 wins during its national championship campaign of 2012-13.
For three and a half years prior to Louisville, Pitino served as president and head coach of the NBA’s Boston Celtics. He also spent four years coaching the New York Knicks, beginning as an assistant coach under Hubie Brown from 1983-85 before returning to serve as head coach from 1987-89. During the 1988-89 season, the Knicks won 52 games and swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Pitino is one four current Division I head coaches who has also been a head coach in the NBA alongside John Calipari, Fred Hoiberg and Reggie Theus.
From 1989-97, Pitino served as the head coach at Kentucky, guiding the Wildcats to three NCAA Final Four appearances in his final five years. The Wildcats posted a 219-50 overall record (.814) under Pitino, winning the 1996 NCAA Championship and reaching the national title game in 1997.
Pitino, 73, got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Hawai’i in 1974 and served as a full-time assistant there in 1975-76 before a brief six-game stint as head coach prior to season’s end. He served two seasons as an assistant coach at Syracuse from 1976-78, before earning his first head coaching job at Boston University in 1978. Pitino produced a 91-51 record in five years at BU, departing as the most successful coach in program history. In his final season, he guided the Terriers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years.
After his two years as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Pitino became the head coach at Providence College for two seasons from 1985-87, producing a 42-23 record with the Friars. He guided Providence to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1986, followed by his first trip to the Final Four in 1987.
Pitino also has international coaching experience, leading the Puerto Rico national team in three competitions during the summer of 2015.
Pitino is a 1974 graduate of Massachusetts, where he was a standout guard for the Minutemen’s basketball team. A team captain his senior year, he ranked among UMass’ top 10 for career assists for more than 40 years.
Born Sept. 18, 1952, Pitino is a native of New York City where he was a standout guard for St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, Long Island from 1966-70.
Pitino and his wife Joanne have five children, Michael, Christopher, Richard, Ryan and Jacqueline, and 15 grandchildren.
A 2013 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with more than five decades of coaching experience, Pitino has established a stellar reputation for excellence on the court and a dedication to student-athlete academic success over his 37 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Pitino, who owns an 885-311 (.740) career head coaching record, has made 24 NCAA Tournament appearances with six different schools and advanced to the Final Four seven times, a total reached by only six coaches all-time. His 885 victories rank fifth all-time in Division I heading into 2025-26.
Pitino became the first coach to take three different schools to the Final Four and is the only coach to win an NCAA Championship at two different schools (1996 Kentucky and 2013 Louisville). He is one of only four coaches to ever reach the Final Four in four separate decades. With a 55-22 record in the NCAA Tournament, Pitino holds the second-highest winning percentage in NCAA Tournament games (.714) among all active coaches. Off the court, he has served as a charitable benefactor for a broad spectrum of worthy causes, often choosing to do so anonymously.
In just two seasons at St. John’s, Pitino has taken a downtrodden program and returned it to its rightful status as a regional and national power. After reaching the 20-win plateau, advancing to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals and narrowly missing an NCAA Tournament berth with a roster that featured 12 newcomers in 2023-24, Pitino’s squad took a monumental leap in 2024-25.
This past season, the Red Storm finished with an overall record of 31-5, matching a program record set by the 1984-85 and 1985-86 squads. After equaling a BIG EAST record with 18 league wins during the regular season, St. John’s captured the outright BIG EAST Regular Season title for the first time in 40 years before running through the BIG EAST Tournament to claim its first postseason conference crown since 2000. The Red Storm earned a no. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, taking down Omaha in the first round for the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000. St. John’s was ranked in each of the last nine Associated Press regular season polls, rising as high as no. 5 for the first time since the 1990-91.
For his efforts, Pitino captured his first BIG EAST Coach of the Year honor before being named the United States Basketball Writers Association National Coach of the Year (Henry Iba Award), Associated Press National Coach of the Year and Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year. Pitino also earned Coach of the Year honors from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, an award named in honor of his St. John’s predecessor Lou Carnesecca.
2024-25 marked Pitino’s ninth 30-win season as a college head coach and his 29th campaign with at least 20 victories.
Pitino’s teams have won 15 tournament championships and he owns a collective 59-17 conference tournament record (.776). At Kentucky, his teams posted an incredible 17-1 Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament mark. His coaching resume also features three BIG EAST Tournament titles while at Louisville in 2009, 2012 and 2013. In addition, Pitino has mentored 32 players who were drafted or have played in the NBA. His 1996 NCAA Championship team at Kentucky featured seven future NBA performers.
Pitino joined the Red Storm after three seasons at Iona, where he led the Gaels to a 64-22 overall record with a 40-9 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). A two-time MAAC Coach of the Year, Pitino led the Gaels to a pair of MAAC regular season titles and two MAAC Tournament championships. Iona made trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2023 and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2022.
Before Iona, Pitino coached parts of two seasons for Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague, leading the team to the 2019 Greek Cup title in his first season.
From 2001-17, Pitino spent 16 seasons as head coach at Louisville and led the Cardinals to a 416-143 overall record. While at Louisville, he took the Cards to the NCAA Tournament 13 times. Under Pitino, Louisville advanced to seven Sweet 16s, six Elite Eights, three Final Fours and a National Championship. The Cardinals set a school record with 35 wins during its national championship campaign of 2012-13.
For three and a half years prior to Louisville, Pitino served as president and head coach of the NBA’s Boston Celtics. He also spent four years coaching the New York Knicks, beginning as an assistant coach under Hubie Brown from 1983-85 before returning to serve as head coach from 1987-89. During the 1988-89 season, the Knicks won 52 games and swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Pitino is one four current Division I head coaches who has also been a head coach in the NBA alongside John Calipari, Fred Hoiberg and Reggie Theus.
From 1989-97, Pitino served as the head coach at Kentucky, guiding the Wildcats to three NCAA Final Four appearances in his final five years. The Wildcats posted a 219-50 overall record (.814) under Pitino, winning the 1996 NCAA Championship and reaching the national title game in 1997.
Pitino, 73, got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Hawai’i in 1974 and served as a full-time assistant there in 1975-76 before a brief six-game stint as head coach prior to season’s end. He served two seasons as an assistant coach at Syracuse from 1976-78, before earning his first head coaching job at Boston University in 1978. Pitino produced a 91-51 record in five years at BU, departing as the most successful coach in program history. In his final season, he guided the Terriers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years.
After his two years as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Pitino became the head coach at Providence College for two seasons from 1985-87, producing a 42-23 record with the Friars. He guided Providence to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1986, followed by his first trip to the Final Four in 1987.
Pitino also has international coaching experience, leading the Puerto Rico national team in three competitions during the summer of 2015.
Pitino is a 1974 graduate of Massachusetts, where he was a standout guard for the Minutemen’s basketball team. A team captain his senior year, he ranked among UMass’ top 10 for career assists for more than 40 years.
Born Sept. 18, 1952, Pitino is a native of New York City where he was a standout guard for St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, Long Island from 1966-70.
Pitino and his wife Joanne have five children, Michael, Christopher, Richard, Ryan and Jacqueline, and 15 grandchildren.
Head Coaching Records
| Season | Team | Overall Record |
Conference Record |
Conference Finish |
Conference Championships |
Conference | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-76 | Hawaii | 2-4 | Independent | ||||
| Hawaii Totals | 2-4 (.333) | 0-0 (.000) | |||||
| 1978-79 | Boston University | 17-9 | Independent | ||||
| 1979-80 | Boston University | 21-9 | 19-7 | T-1st | Reg. Season | ECAC-North | NIT Second Round |
| 1980-81 | Boston University | 13-14 | 13-13 | T-4th | ECAC-North | ||
| 1981-82 | Boston University | 19-9 | 6-2 | 4th | ECAC-North | ||
| 1982-83 | Boston University | 21-10 | 8-2 | T-1st | Reg. Season/Tournament | ECAC-North | NCAA Preliminary Round |
| Boston University Totals | 91-51 (.641) | 46-24 (.657) | |||||
| 1985-86 | Providence | 17-14 | 7-9 | 5th | Big East | NIT Semifinal | |
| 1986-87 | Providence | 25-9 | 10-6 | 4th | Big East | NCAA Final Four | |
| Providence Totals | 42-23 (.646) | 17-15 (.531) | |||||
| 1989-90 | Kentucky | 14-14 | 10-8 | T-4th | SEC | ||
| 1990-91 | Kentucky | 22-6 | 14-4 | 1st | SEC | ||
| 1991-92 | Kentucky | 29-7 | 12-4 | 1st-E | Reg. Season/Tournament | SEC | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 1992-93 | Kentucky | 30-4 | 13-3 | 2nd-E | Tournament | SEC | NCAA Final Four |
| 1993-94 | Kentucky | 27-7 | 12-4 | 2nd-E | Reg. Season/Tournament | SEC | NCAA Second Round |
| 1994-95 | Kentucky | 28-5 | 14-2 | 1st-E | Reg. Season/Tournament | SEC | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 1995-96 | Kentucky | 34-2 | 16-0 | 1st-E | Reg. Season | SEC | NATIONAL CHAMPION |
| 1996-97 | Kentucky | 35-5 | 13-3 | 2nd-E | Tournament | SEC | NCAA Finalist |
| Kentucky Totals | 219-50 (.814) | 104-28 (.788) | |||||
| 2001-02 | Louisville | 19-13 | 8-8 | T-8th | C-USA | NIT Second Round | |
| 2002-03 | Louisville | 25-7 | 11-5 | 3rd | Tournament | C-USA | NCAA Second Round |
| 2003-04 | Louisville | 20-10 | 9-7 | T-6th | C-USA | NCAA First Round | |
| 2004-05 | Louisville | 33-5 | 14-2 | 1st | Reg. Season/Tournament | C-USA | NCAA Final Four |
| 2005-06 | Louisville | 21-13 | 6-10 | T-11th | Big East | NIT Semifinal | |
| 2006-07 | Louisville | 24-10 | 12-4 | T-2nd | Big East | NCAA Second Round | |
| 2007-08 | Louisville | 27-9 | 14-4 | T-2nd | Big East | NCAA Elite Eight | |
| 2008-09 | Louisville | 31-6 | 16-2 | 1st | Reg. Season/Tournament | Big East | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2009-10 | Louisville | 20-13 | 11-7 | T-5th | Big East | NCAA First Round | |
| 2010-11 | Louisville | 25-10 | 12-6 | T-3rd | Big East | NCAA First Round | |
| 2011-12 | Louisville | 30-10 | 10-8 | 7th | Tournament | Big East | NCAA Final Four |
| 2012-13 | Louisville | 35-5 | 14-4 | T-1st | Reg. Season/Tournament | Big East | NATIONAL CHAMPION |
| 2013-14 | Louisville | 31-6 | 15-3 | T-1st | Reg. Season/Tournament | American | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2014-15 | Louisville | 27-9 | 12-6 | 4th | ACC | NCAA Elite Eight | |
| 2015-16 | Louisville | 23-8 | 12-6 | 4th | ACC | ||
| 2016-17 | Louisville | 25-9 | 12-6 | T-2nd | ACC | NCAA Second Round | |
| Louisville Totals | 416-143 (.744) | 188-88 (.681) | |||||
| 2020-21 | Iona | 12-6 | 6-3 | T-2nd (9-seed) | Tournament | MAAC | NCAA First Round |
| 2021-22 | Iona | 25-8 | 17-3 | 1st | Reg. Season | MAAC | NIT First Round |
| 2022-23 | Iona | 27-8 | 17-3 | 1st | Reg. Season/Tournament | MAAC | NCAA First Round |
| Iona Totals | 64-22 (.720) | 40-9 (.816) | |||||
2023-24 |
St. John's |
20-13 |
11-9 |
5th |
BIG EAST |
||
2024-25 |
St. John's |
31-5 |
18-2 |
1st |
Reg. Season/Tournament |
BIG EAST |
NCAA Second Round |
| St. John's Totals | 51-18 (.739) | 29-11 (.725) |
|||||
| Career Totals | 834-293 (.740) | 395-164 (.707) | |||||
Open Practice Press Conference 8.5.2025
Tuesday, August 05
St. John's Basketball Adidas Launch Media Availability7.16.25
Wednesday, July 16
Coach Pitino Press Conference Yankee Stadium 6.4.2025
Wednesday, June 04
Rick Pitino: 2024-25 Coach of the Year in Review
Friday, May 09
