Rick Pitino, the new head coach at St. John’s, recently appeared on the Inside College Basketball Now Podcast. He touched upon the scandal of his firing by Louisville and gave insight into his attitude toward the program now.
“I think I had a lot of problems with the University of Louisville… And there’s certain things I will never forgive that they did, but that has nothing to do with the present administration …the people that I was upset about are no longer board of trustees,” Pitino said (15:53).
“It really wasn’t upset that they fired me… I’m okay with that. It was the treatment they gave Tom Jurich, but just recently, they named the street outside of the practice facility Tom Jurich Way. So, all is forgiven… I no longer even think the slightest bit negatively about the University of Louisville,” he added.
In his second season at St. John’s, Pitino led the Red Storm to the 2024-25 Big East regular season and tournament championships and a 31-5 record, and NCAA Tournament appearance. His comments are the first public statement that he has made about reconciliation with Louisville since leaving.
During his time at Louisville, he led the Cardinals to a national championship in 2013 with three Final Four appearances as well. Ultimately, his 2013 title was stripped after the investigations about his recruiting led to the end of his 17 year tenure with the Cardinals.
2025–26 St. John’s Outlook: Talent Stacked, Schedule Demanding
The next season at St. John’s is going to be one of Pitino’s more interesting ones. The Red Storm will start their conference title defense with a challenging and high-profile schedule. The Johnnies will begin the year on November 3 at Carnesecca Arena versus Quinnipiac, and then head to New York for a marquee game against Alabama at Madison Square Garden on November 8. St. John’s will also play Kentucky in another high-level game at the CBS Sports Classic on December 20 according to RedStormSports.com.
The 11-game non-conference schedule consists of four Top-25 opponents in the 2024-25 season: Alabama, Kentucky, Iowa State, and Ole Miss. The Red Storm will also be playing in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, which will add even more pressure-filled games to end November. Pitino has restocked his roster with one of the country’s best-ranked transfer groups, headlined by Big East Player of the Year candidate Zuby Ejiofor and a cadre of high-impact newcomers in Ian Jackson, Bryce Hopkins, and Dillon Mitchell.
Read More:
“This Is His Town”: Pat Kelsey Sends Clear Message On Rick Pitino’s Potential Return To Louisville
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