Rick Pitino wins 900th career game -- but 'he'd have a lot more if he had stayed at Kentucky'

We’ve talked and written about Rick Pitino more positively over the last two years than I ever thought was possible sitting where we all sat in 2017 and knowing what we all know about his time at Louisville. His character arc could give you whiplash if you tried breaking it down in one sitting, transitioning from hero to villain, back to hero as of late. He got a standing ovation wearing a blue quarter-zip with a UK on his chest at Big Blue Madness as the active head coach of another top-25 program! And Kentucky had to beat him at said program in the CBS Sports Classic in Catlanta just a year later! It’s like the Twilight Zone!

Fast forward to Saturday, January 24 — a day Pitino will remember for the rest of his life, earning his 900th career win as a head coach, and doing it against his son, Richard. Pitino’s St. John’s team defeated Pitino’s Xavier squad 88-83, rallying from behind 16 points in the second half to earn the comeback victory (maybe Pope shouldn’t try to be exactly like his mentor?) and move to 15-5 on the season and 8-1 in the Big East.

He’s just the fourth coach in Division I history to hit that 900-win mark, joining Mike Krzyzewski (1,202), Jim Boeheim (1,116) and Roy Williams (903) — and he’s just a week or two away from topping Williams for third all-time.

Ask his son, though, and he’d tell you leaving Kentucky back in 1997 is the reason Pitino isn’t higher on the list now. Maybe he’s the all-time leader as we speak? He does have 192 wins in the NBA and 18 more in EuroLeague to give him 1,110 victories across all levels. That momentum in Lexington was something serious, so it’s worth the conversation.

“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 following his team’s loss to his father and the Johnnies. “When your dad is 73, you just want him to be happy and healthy. We are all reminded way too much at how short life is, so to see him doing great, coaching and being celebrated at St. John’s, that’s all I care about.

“It keeps him young, I hope he continues to coach. He’s a phenomenal coach, but I’m really lucky to have him as a father.”

“I’m happy for him that he got 900. I think he’s the best coach to ever coach college basketball… he’s a phenomenal coach but I’m really lucky to have him as a father.” Richard Pitino on his dad’s 900th college win Saturday against Xavier pic.twitter.com/2RJju79x2d
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 24, 2026

Pitino on Kentucky: ‘They’re going to be a very good basketball team.’

Mark Pope and Kentucky defeated Pitino and St. John’s 78-66 back on December 20, despite the Wildcats entering the matchup as 2.5-point underdogs. Since then, the Red Storm have won eight of nine — including six straight.

As for the Wildcats, they started the season 9-6, but have since won five straight to move to 14-6 on the year. UK is, at worst, tied for second in the SEC with a 5-2 record in league play.

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Pitino said after that Catlanta loss to Camelot that Pope would get this team on the right track, and here they are, right on schedule.

“I’m really proud of Mark, I think he’s done a brilliant thing with changing the whole mindset of the team, ‘Let’s be tough. Let’s be physical.’ It doesn’t surprise me makes the change. That’s why he’s a Rhodes Scholar candidate,” he told reporters. “… They’re going to be a very good basketball team. They’re gonna have to keep playing smash-mouth basketball, and play like that physical team.

“And, I give Mark all the credit in the world because he’s a big believer in finesse, big believer in shooting the 3, and he says, ‘Look, hey, it’s not working, let’s change, man.’ So, I give him an awful lot of credit.”

“He’s got balls as big as church bells.”

This doesn’t fit into the post at all, but the quote is too good not to include for your entertainment.

When asked about the team’s 16-point comeback win on Saturday to give him 900, Pitino singled out the size of his backup guard’s testicles for scoring 11 points on 4-8 shooting and 3-5 from three off the bench.

“They never broke, they just stayed with it,” he said. “Dylan Darling — he’s got balls as big as church bells. It’s unbelievable. Bryce Hopkins made big plays and Ian kept us in the game in the first half. It was a great team performance.”