St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino is one of the most accomplished college basketball coaches ever. With two NCAA Division I Tournament championships and seven Final Fours under his belt, Pitino is regarded by many as head and shoulders above the rest of this year’s field.
Pitino can often be seen on the sidelines, sporting an all-white suit. Read more to learn all about the iconic look.
The Story Behind Rick Pitino’s Iconic White Suit
Pitino first wore the iconic outfit in 2008, when he was the head man at Louisville. The program planned a “white out,” where all fans were urged to wear white. The crowd loved the outfit, and the Cardinals upset Georgetown on College Gameday.
Pitino continued to wear the suit at Louisville, and brought it back out of his closet at St. John’s. And while the Armani suit — purchased on his wife Joanne’s urging — isn’t the same from all those years back (Pitino told college basketball insider John Fanta the old one didn’t fit), it still brought out the desired effect.
In a February “white out,” Pitino’s Red Storm clinched the Big East regular season title for the first time since 1985. Pitino sported the iconic outfit in a 71-61 win over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.
“I couldn’t fit in the old one,” Pitino said after bringing the suit back last year in an upset win against Creighton. “My players were going to get a big kick out of it, and that’s why I did it.”
KEEP READING: John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino: How the Two Coaching Giants Stack up
The historic coach is looking to lead a third team to an NCAA tournament championship. The No. 2 Johnnies already took down No. 15 Omaha to an 83-53 drubbing. Now? A matchup with an old rival of Pitino’s: the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks and head coach John Calipari.
Maybe we’ll see the white suit come out.
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