It was not just another day at the office for legendary coach Rick Pitino. The Pitino reunion saw the Hall of Fame St. John’s coach improve to 3-1 when going up against his son Richard Pitino.
St. John’s led by 11 points at halftime in the 85-71 win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. All five starters scored in double figures as the Red Storm improved to 4-0. RJ Luis Jr. had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the win.
As expected, much of the chatter after the game was about Pitino coaching against his son. It made for a memorable Pitino reunion.
Pitino Reunion Has Hall of Famer Beaming
When it comes to the Pitino vs. Pitino matchup, it didn’t take much prodding for the elder Pitino to speak highly of his son even if New Mexico suffered its first loss of the season. Mustapha Amzil and Nelly Junior Joseph each had 16 points for the Lobos in the 14-point loss.
“The reason I booked the game is I thought it was great for New Mexico to come into the Garden,” Rick Pitino told the media after the win. “They just came off beating UCLA, now they play a St. John’s team in the Garden. Their resume only gets enhanced.
The St. John’s crowd is chanting “WHO’S YOUR DADDY” at Richard Pitino and Rick is imploring them to stop pic.twitter.com/CG9RZ7D7IJ
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 17, 2024
“He is my son so I am going to brag but he is a great young coach. His offensive mind is brilliant. He puts you in situations that really hurt you defensively. I think he won 27 games last year, I think he has a great team this year. He does it with all new players, with different players. He is one of the bright young offensive minds in the game today.”
Perhaps the only difficult time for Pitino was when the fans began to chant, “Who’s your daddy?” late in the game.
A One-Way Trip
When it comes to another Pitino reunion, Richard Pitino told the media that he doesn’t expect St. John’s to make a return trip and play at New Mexico. Naturally, Rick Pitino was asked about that and he displayed his quick wit.
“We agreed on bringing his team to the Garden,” Pitino said. “We went to New Mexico when I was at Iona. If I go back to Iona in a few years, I will go back to The Pit.”
A Nice MSG Debut
Sunday’s win was the first of eight scheduled games that St. John’s will play at Madison Square Garden. Of course, the Red Storm will also be at the Garden for the Big East Tournament.
Players on both sides got to experience a great crowd at the World’s Most Famous Arena. St. John’s has nine regular-season home games in Big East play, and seven of them will be played at the Garden.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” Aaron Scott told the media after scoring 14 points in the victory. “The fans were crazy. It was really loud, I couldn’t hear my own teammates at times. I love the crowd and I love the atmosphere.”
Scott is one of the high-profile transfers recruited by Pitino. Unquestionably, he is a major reason why the Red Storm is off to a strong start.
The next game at MSG will be against Villanova on Jan. 11 followed by a matchup with Georgetown three days later. After that, the Feb. 23 matchup with UConn at MSG is one being circled on the schedule.
“It was unbelievable for me and my son and we will remember this forever,” Pitino said. “My pre-game speech was guys this is your first game in Madison Square Garden. I grew up on 26th Street between Third Avenue. I always dreamed of playing a high school game in the Garden, playing in the NIT back at UMass. You get to call this your home court. You don’t understand how special it is. It is the World’s Most Famous Arena for a reason. For New Mexico, for my son, for me every time I walk into this building it is special.”
Tough Stretch For The Red Storm
St. John’s played its first four games in New York. Now the Red Storm head to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.
The Red Storm face Baylor on Thursday and plays either Tennessee or Virginia on Friday. That will be followed by a matchup with Georgia, also in the Bahamas. St. John’s returns home to face Harvard on Nov. 30 at Carnesecca Arena.
