Pitino’s latest buttons pushed might just get St. John’s to NCAA Tournament

Rick Pitino has seen St. John’s win three straight since his now-infamous press conference rant in which he called out Red Storm after loss to Seton Hall. However, his words may have ignited a rally that could lead Johnnies back to NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Vincent Dusovic/St. John’s Athletics)

For the last four years, and perhaps maybe the last quarter-century if they wanted to go back that far to find sustained success, St. John’s fans were lonely for a man. A man who could break the cycle, erase the stigma — reverse the curse some diehards insist was placed upon their beloved Johnnies following patron saint Lou Carnesecca’s retirement — and return the program to its once-proud perch among the national elite.

The hiring of Rick Pitino one year ago this month was essentially the Hall of Fame coach — who desperately craved one last shot at a high level to prove he could still compete and win with the best — saying to his newfound congregation, “take me as I am.”

The Red Storm faithful did just that, despite its new leader’s well-chronicled baggage, for which he was exonerated by the NCAA and IARP, in the hope that one day soon, it might enjoy some madness — particularly the kind that ensues around this time of the year — for a while.

Twelve days ago, the only madness that was even a thought around the St. John’s program following a loss to Seton Hall where the Red Storm blew a 19-point first half lead was that of Pitino expressing his frustration and utter discontent at the way the season had panned out to that point. Bemoaning his roster for its collective deficiencies on a slow night in the sports world, Pitino held nothing back, creating consternation that reached a crescendo when highlights of his press conference were aired on SportsCenter and picked up by other national outlets.

“If I said I was disappointed,” he began, “that would be the understatement of the year.”

“Our lateral quickness and our toughness is just something I’ve never witnessed in all my years of coaching,” he continued. “We are so nonathletic and we can’t guard anybody without fouling, and it’s been that way all year. I’m not gonna lie to you, this is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime just because the game has to be played a certain way with fundamentals, and this has been so disappointing. It really is not about losing, because even when we’re winning, I watch the film and I see unathletic plays, I see people that don’t handle the ball, that are interested in taking quick shots. So it’s been a disappointing year.”

Nearly two weeks later, a stunning reversal of fortune seems to be in the works following a three-game win streak that has propelled St. John’s back into the bubble conversation. A gritty win at Georgetown was followed by a signature victory at home over a Top 15 Creighton team, and then a decisive rout of Butler on the road. With two seemingly winnable games against DePaul and Georgetown to close the regular season, it is widely expected that the Red Storm will carry a five-game win streak onto its home floor at Madison Square Garden to contest a Big East tournament that, now, will see the Johnnies enter as the hottest of hands.

This movie is not new. Pitino has long helmed memorable stretches like these, and in some instances, caused them indirectly. Look no further than last year.

Following a nationally televised 17-point loss to Siena last January, Pitino declined to address the media in Albany, a decision that was widely criticized and viewed as the veteran coach throwing his weight and ego around at a level where he could get away with just about anything, simply because of his resume.

Say what you want, but the tacit show of disappointment in his team worked. Iona did not lose another game for the remainder of the regular season or through the MAAC tournament, only tasting defeat in the NCAA Tournament against eventual national champion UConn, who trailed the Gaels at halftime. Hearing Pitino's words following the Seton Hall collapse struck a similar parallel, which was enhanced by the very favorable finish St. John’s has to its schedule.

Red Storm fans have thought constantly, sometimes bordering on obsession, of all the years they have tried to find someone to satisfy their rabid desire to be a perennial winner. Norm Roberts, Steve Lavin, Chris Mullin and Mike Anderson all failed in that department at the end of the day. Pitino, perhaps as crazy as some might say, relates to the hunger. And the fan base would not want him any other way. In fact, he just may be the proverbial lunatic it has been looking for.

At this point, it is too late for Pitino to fight the backlash that came from his brutal candor, even if he admitted this past Wednesday that it may have been premeditated to tap deeper into his players’ potentials. By the same token, it is also too late to change a tried and true, time-tested method that has always found a way to work best when the timing is most opportune. The fact remains that no one knows how to motivate, or convey a message, better than the man currently looking to resurrect St. John’s from its latest nadir. By doing so in a mere four weeks, assuming the Red Storm can go on a run in the Big East tournament, which looks much more palatable now than it did in February, it would confirm another master stroke of the brush by one of the game’s foremost artists.

He may have been wrong, in the eyes of some, to call out his players publicly.

For all we know, he may be right.