Rick Pitino wants a Final Four at St. John's to pass John Calipari
Only two coaches in the history of college basketball have taken three different schools to a Final Four: John Calipari and Rick Pitino.
Both coaches have made jumps up, down, left and right, finding historic success at all (well, most) places. Calipari hit that prestigious mark at Massachusetts, Memphis and Kentucky, while Pitino did it at Providence, Kentucky and Louisville.
The latter is the only coach to win a title at two schools — at least he was before Louisville’s 2013 championship was vacated. He also won one at Kentucky in 1996. The former has only done it once, bringing the Wildcats their eighth national championship in 2012. At least on the court (certainly not by looking at official NCAA records), Pitino has that feat on Calipari.
And taking the head coaching job at St. John’s his first order of business is breaking that tie with Calipari for the first record, as well.
“I’ve had the good fortune to take three different schools to a Final Four. John Calipari has also taken three different schools, we’re the only two people,” Pitino said in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday. “I want to take St. John’s to another Final Four so I can get rid of Calipari off my resume.”
Lofty expectations for a St. John’s program that hasn’t won a single NCAA Tournament game since 2000, a 23-year drought that Pitino promises will come to an end sooner rather than later.
“We’ve gotta get players that are really committed to winning, and if you get those players then you win. It’s not going to be difficult, it really is not,” Pitino said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “St. John’s is one of the legendary names in all of college basketball. Has it fallen on tough times? Yes it has. But now we’re ready to fall on great times. We’re ready to raise this roof up because St. John’s is going to be back. I guarantee that.”
For Pitino, it’s not about if he’s going to find success in New York City, but how quickly it happens.
“It’s not about when, or if, it’s going to happen for St. John’s and it’s going to happen in a big way,” he said.
One of Coach Cal’s biggest career rivals, he couldn’t help but throw a friendly jab at the Kentucky head coach on the day he returned to the Big East, right back where it all started for the 70-year-old.
As it should be.
Now, how do we get a Kentucky-St. John’s home-and-home scheduled?
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