Rick Pitino is getting set to lead St. John’s into its most hyped season in recent memory, and he sat down in studio with Boomer and Gio on Wednesday morning to talk about what’s to come.
Pitino, a head coaching legend in college basketball, broke down how he grades his players after every practice, sending each player a text message with their stats on the defensive end, from rebounds to deflections, along with grades for effort and hustle.
Pitino hopes his work in practice, which includes 14 new players, will help lift a Red Storm team that has been starved for consistent March Madness appearances back to where the program was in its glory days.
“It’s my last opportunity to build something special,” Pitino said, noting that he is likely reaching the home stretch of his coaching career at 71 years old. “This is my last chance to take something that was so big in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and create it back to where Lou (Carnesecca) had it.”
Pitino and St. John’s play Rutgers in an exhibition game on Oct. 21, and open the season on Nov. 7 against Stony Brook.