St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino is under fire over his team’s most recent setback, with many urging him to walk away from the game already. On Monday, Nov. 24, coach Pitino and the rest of the 2025-26 Red Storm squad faced coach TJ Otzelberger’s Iowa State Cyclones to continue their non-conference schedule in the Players Era Festival at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Unfortunately for Pitino and company, despite their efforts, the Red Storm lost to the Cyclones by a mere point, 83-82. The game went down to the wire, and eventually, in its dying minutes, Pitino refused to call a timeout to halt the Cyclones’ momentum, which has since triggered questions from the basketball world. Eventually, a pair of free throws iced the matchup in favor of Iowa State.
College basketball fans online have since urged Pitino to step down from his position and retire from coaching.
“Rick Pitino is senile and needs to retire,” one user claimed.
“Yeah, Rick Pitino, give it up. YOU ARE A** NOW OF A COACH,” another user exclaimed.
“It’s over for Rick Pitino by the way. He thinks he’s bigger then game,” a user said.
“Rick Pitino washed, man. St. John’s stays fraudulent idk why I thought they be different this year. TJ was coaching circles around him and that,” another shared.
Other users shared their thoughts on what has led to St. John’s downfall and their overall take on Pitino as a coach.
“Investigate Rick Pitino. How do you not use your timeout!! And why THE F*CK does that No. 3 Sanon scrub play more than Ian Jackson? Pitino is putting this roster to sh*t!,” one user explained.
“Rick Pitino so mf overrated,” another user wrote.
“Rick Pitino, I am removing you from my long list of coaches I respect,” a user posted.
Pitino and the Red Storm have fallen to a 3-2 overall record early in the year. They aim to uncork a better campaign than their 2024-25 season. St. John’s is coming off a 48-point beatdown, 97-49, of the Bucknell Bison in their last game, and is now hoping to get back to tallying wins when they take on the Baylor Bears on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the same venue.
Also Read: Years After Controversy That Ended Up In Firing, Rick Pitino Opens Up On Potential Return To Louisville
Rick Pitino Is In His 51st Year Of Coaching Basketball
Perhaps the calls for Rick Pitino to retire from coaching collegiate hoops stem from the fact that he is currently in his 51st year of coaching the sport. The 73-year-old started his career all the way back in 1974 as a graduate assistant for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
After several stints as a coach in the NBA, Pitino’s most tenured run came with the Louisville Cardinals, with whom he spent around 16 years, before finding his way into the St. John’s Red Storm.
Read More: St. John’s HC Rick Pitino Takes Clear Stance On 2025-26 Roster Compared to 1996 National Championship Winning Team
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