The Perfect Storm: Pitino’s marriage to Johnnies a seminal moment for both coach and program

Rick Pitino now turns his watchful eye to St. John’s upon taking over as Red Storm head coach. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

After two decades of placing a greater premium on press conference wins than actual on-court success, St. John’s finally signaled its long-absent and far longer overdue commitment to excellence when it hired Rick Pitino to shepherd its beleaguered men’s basketball program back to a level it has not seen in at least a quarter-century, perhaps longer depending on how you view the Mike Jarvis era that ended in ignominy 20 years ago this fall.

Monday afternoon’s bombshell announcement is the epiphany fans of the Johnnies have clamored for since Lou Carnesecca walked away from his empire 31 years ago. It confirms that the adults in the room are once again in power, with Father Brian Shanley using his power and pulpit as St. John’s president to unilaterally run a search that lasted just over nine days. Gone are the days of general counsel and chief saboteur Joe Oliva having a voice in the future of a long-dormant program that was once a paragon of the Big East Conference, with the embarrassment of 2019’s gong show that settled on Mike Anderson also abandoned on the curb. Shanley focused on one man, one man only, and rightfully so.

Rick Pitino did not need an introduction when his prospective candidacy came to be. The 800-plus victories, two national championships, and countless professional testimonials speak for themselves. Shanley nearly lured him back to Providence a dozen years ago before settling on Ed Cooley, who also landed in the news on Monday when he left his hometown Friars for his own chance to restore past glory on the Hilltop at Georgetown. Now, the priest who may as well be a deity for long-suffering Johnnies fans has his man, and can execute his vision on a grand scale. Sometimes, simple is brilliant. This is one of those instances where there was no need to overthink the obvious, especially when it cast an imposing shadow just a half-hour over the Throgs Neck Bridge and up the New England Thruway.

Pitino spoke often in what will now be remembered as his final days at Iona of changing the culture in New Rochelle. While very little on the court needed improvement at a school that had been to six NCAA Tournaments in the decade before his arrival, the gravitas he brings to conversations with his mere introduction was responsible for a facilities upgrade and accountability off the court for student-athletes. St. John’s is in dire need of boosts in both those areas, with Taffner Field House already behind the times after just 18 years compared to its Big East brethren’s practice buildings, and a rapidly deteriorating lack of command under Anderson that saw two players suspended for multiple games and undermining his authority with a nonchalant attitude toward him and his antiquated schemes.

The revolutionary nature of the transfer portal will likely contribute to a much different St. John’s roster next season, but take note of this: At each stop during Pitino’s illustrious career, he has engineered a double-digit improvement in wins within two years of taking over. And outside of being handcuffed by Eddie Sutton’s sanctions at Kentucky and COVID-19 at Iona, he has guided his teams to at least six more wins in his first year than the previous season. The Red Storm was 18-15 this past year under Anderson. It has not won 20 games in consecutive years since Steve Lavin’s last two seasons, which are now eight and nine years old, respectively. St. John’s has not had back-to-back 25-win campaigns since Mike Jarvis’ first two seasons at the turn of the century. All those numbers are in line to change.

Pitino deftly sidestepped the ever-present and oft-swirling rumors this past weekend, but clearly addressed in context the ship of which he now assumes command. It would take a special place to get him to consider leaving Iona, he said. One where he would not have to leave his palatial digs at Winged Foot Golf Club, he implored. He has inevitably found it again, as St. John’s, for all its warts, truly is special. The mystique of being the ninth-winningest program in the nation has not disappeared, it was just diminished by gross negligence and a litany of bad decisions hidden by a brand name.

The perception has changed, and in a seismic manner. St. John’s no longer has to dip into the well of nostalgia to recreate halcyon days, it can now get with the times and hitch its wagon to a Hall of Fame navigator who knows how to adjust for nearly every situation. The nice guy who lacked the killer instinct, the miscast Hollywood type, the former hero turned failed conqueror, and the retread who saw the game pass him by are all in the rearview mirror now. Behind the wheel is a fierce competitor and determined winner, to a fault. So insatiable is his lust and thirst for victory that nothing but the best is demanded from all who associate with him. 

Memories are more impactful when enjoyed in real time, rather than revisited wistfully as they have through the fogged red-and-white glasses of the last three decades. It’s now time to create more and watch them unfold in front of you. Look not behind you at the choppy seas, but to the bright light of the future, for the perfect storm has come.