Rick Pitino reportedly makes decision on coaching future

Rick Pitino has been regaining his stock as a head coach, leading Iona to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 3 seasons.

Throughout the year, Pitino has been linked to multiple vacancies, and he now has a decision on his coaching future. According to multiple reports — including Pete Thamel with ESPN –, Pitino is going to accept the head coaching position at St. John’s.

The deal for Pitino with the Red Storm is reportedly for six years.

ESPN Reporting with @wojespn: Iona’s Rick Pitino has agreed on a six-year deal to become St. John’s coach. Pitino’s taken three schools to the Final Four, won NCAA titles at Kentucky and Louisville and now makes move to restore the Red Storm to Big East prominence.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 20, 2023

According to Adam Zagoria with the New York Times, Pitino is also expected to bring his entire Iona staff with him to St. John’s. He takes over a St. John’s program that has just 1 NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 8 seasons and has not been back to March Madness since 2019.

Rick Pitino plans to take his entire @IonaGaelsMBB staff with him to @StJohnsBBall , per source https://t.co/zaQajaCBdN

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 20, 2023

Outlook for Pitino at St. John’s

Before things went south at Louisville, the Cardinals were one of the most consistent programs in the country. Pitino also has 2 national titles to his credit, winning 1 each at Kentucky and Louisville.

While St. John’s is not on the same level as those two programs, Pitino showed what he can do with a 64-22 overall record across 3 seasons for Iona. We’ll see if he can do the same for a once-proud St. John’s program.