The St. John’s Red Storm just signed Rick Pitino to a new contract, making him the second-highest-paid coach in the Big East. Pitino is expected to make more than $5 million per year. This would put him among the top 10 best-paid coaches in college basketball and make him the second-best-paid coach in the Big East, below UConn’s Dan Hurley.
This comes after Pitino led the Red Storm on a historic run that saw them crowned regular-season and tournament champions of the Big East. They reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years. This is St. John’s second straight Big East Tournament victory.
Pitino is one of the most decorated coaches in the game, having won two national titles in 1996 and 2013, although the NCAA vacated the latter. He has also coached Boston University, Providence, the New York Knicks, Kentucky, the Boston Celtics, Louisville, and Greek teams Panathinaikos and Iona. He also briefly coached Greece’s national team.
St. John’s Super Booster on Why They Gave Rick Pitino a Raise
Speaking last month on a podcast, St. John’s super booster Mike Repole explained why the school decided to give this significant raise to Rick Pitino after a couple of successful seasons under him.
“He’s the highest paid coach over 70 years old in college basketball,” Repole said last month on the ‘Eye on the Storm’ podcast. “He’s the highest-paid coach in the Big East over 70. But the reality is, embarrassingly…he’s at the lower half of the Big East. What was a decent contract maybe three years ago is an embarrassing contract today.”
“And let’s be clear, it’s not about the money. Rick Pitino does not need the money, but it’s the principle behind what you’re doing. It’s the appreciation of what he’s done for the school, the university, the basketball Madison Square Garden, New York as a whole, the alumni, the fan base, everything,” he continued.
“The right thing to do is, let’s rip up the contract. Let’s get him a new three-year agreement. Let’s keep him here as long as he wants because we want him here as long as he wants, and let him continue to work his magic,” Repole concluded.
Pitino is 73 years old and was already the best-paid coach over 70 in college basketball, according to St. John’s. Now he will be one of the best-paid in the entire sport.
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