St. John’s coronation a reality thanks to a marriage between two proven winners

RJ Luis raises Big East regular season championship trophy amid a sea of confetti as St. John’s stands atop conference alone for first time in 40 years. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

NEW YORK — It began two years ago this month, and in some ways, was over before it even started.

It, of course, refers to the process of St. John’s reclaiming its perch among the best of the Big East, and by extension, the nation at large. While the Red Storm’s regular season conference title—the program’s first such outright crown since its magnum opus of 1985—is a testimonial four decades in the making, it wasn’t until university president Rev. Brian Shanley got serious on March 10, 2023 and parted ways with former coach Mike Anderson that the groundwork was laid for the renaissance that has captivated college basketball. The search process, run quickly and almost unilaterally by Shanley, with input from then-athletic director Mike Cragg and senior vice president Joe Oliva, focused on one candidate, with a reputation for winning and only a half-hour from the St. John’s campus.

Rick Pitino, at the time of Anderson’s firing, was preparing his Iona team for what would eventually become the program’s second MAAC tournament championship in three years, and seventh since 2013. The hall of fame tactician had spoken about finishing his career at the small New Rochelle institution, but it was no secret that he craved one more opportunity at a higher level to prove to both himself and his skeptics that he could still win while swimming with sharks after being fired in disgrace from Louisville amid a pay-for-play scandal in 2017. Shanley and St. John’s, much like Iona president Seamus Carey did in 2020, tossed him a life preserver. Shanley, who knew of Pitino from the coach’s quick turnaround at Providence College, where he served as president before coming to St. John’s, although not during Pitino’s tenure, had his man.

“Looking at the list of who could be the coach, it was obvious that Rick Pitino was by far the best coach we could have had,” Shanley told reporters in the wake of St. John’s postgame celebration Saturday. “And I bet you, there are so many schools right now going, ‘why didn’t we hire Rick Pitino before St. John’s did?’”

“I think Rick realized this was the greatest opportunity he was going to have. This is a redemption story. Where else could Rick Pitino do what he’s doing except here in the Garden with St. John’s? It’s like, you couldn’t have scripted this. This is like Hollywood in my book. For me, Rick and St. John’s were meant to be together.”

Any concerns about Pitino’s longevity have quickly dissipated as he and his staff have worked tirelessly to reshape the roster following Anderson’s departure and implement his trademark high-energy system. The results have paid off, with St. John’s ensconced inside the Top 10 of both major polls this season after winning 20 games last year—the first time in Pitino’s career that a first-year team of his reached that milestone—and owner of the nation’s second-best defense. The will to win exuded by the coach on a daily basis has become contagious, and according to junior forward Zuby Ejiofor, has been the impetus in turning a dream once thought to be impossible into reality.

“From the preseason until now, we all believed we could get to this point,” Ejiofor said. “Coach Pitino talks a lot about being on Broadway and just what you can do when you get to that point. To be able to win this championship and make history means a lot. Just to be able to have this moment, for the fans as well, it means something.”

“We are New York strong,” Pitino proudly declared. “We don’t win the prettiest way, but we are New York tough and we’re very proud of that. There’s no silver spoons with the guys on this team, they do it the hard way and then they become highly successful because that’s a gift. When you have very little and you have great desire to make it, that’s a great gift from God. When your parents give you everything, that’s not a gift at all. That’s a phony gift that’s gonna stop you from reaching your potential.”

Nothing is insincere about the work ethic of his players, nor the blue-collar nature of the team. In many ways, this particular St. John’s group mirrors the fabled teams of its heyday, the Lou-Carnesecca led local rosters who found ways to keep talent in its backyard and turn it into a Who’s Who of legends. When asked if Carnesecca’s passing has played a role in this season’s success, Pitino paused for a moment to reflect on his former competitor.

“Lou means a lot to a lot of people,” he said. “I coached against him, he was the gentleman of gentlemen, a fierce competitor, a great basketball coach. We’re very proud of the fact that in the year that he passed, because he led a great life, we can honor him with this championship.”

“Looie’s looking down on this,” Shanley echoed. “I’m not going to claim credit for him, but I think it helps us.”

And the St. John’s fan base, a passionate—sometimes loudly and on the border of maniacal in its fervor—group that has spent the past four decades in search of something it can call its own, will take all the help it can get. After all, this is just the beginning, as Pitino has insisted countless times, the initial chapters in what the 72-year-old says is his final book over a storied career.

“If you said to me at the beginning of the year, ‘are you shocked that you won the Big East?’ No, I’m not shocked,” he said. “I’m mildly surprised. If you said to me, ‘are you shocked you won 26 games?’ I’m mildly surprised. If you said to me that Madison Square Garden would be packed four consecutive games, I’m very surprised. I’m absolutely delighted, but I think we’re just scratching the potential of St. John’s. We’re doing great things right now.”

“For me, looking behind the basket and seeing the students out in full force is very rewarding for me personally. Seeing a sold-out Madison Square Garden again is very rewarding for me personally. It’s been 25 years. For our student body, it’s really, really special. Our university’s done a tremendous job getting them back involved, and it’s going to pay huge dividends down the road. Kids are going to want to come to St. John’s now because they’re going to be part of our team again.”

And if Pitino is the de facto team captain, Shanley is its general manager whose vision two years ago has been brought to the fore, maybe sooner than even he imagined, thanks to a man with a Midas touch for winning that has reinvigorated a sleeping giant.

“This is an answer to a prayer,” Shanley proclaimed. “This is what I hoped when we hired Rick, that we would get back where we are right now, contending for a national championship. This is just the beginning in my book. It’s faster than I thought. I thought we’d be in the tournament this year, but not where we are right now. He’s a magician. He’s a genius.”