St. John's President Stamps Giant Label on Rick Pitino

The president of St. John's has stamped a massive label on head coach Rick Pitino.

Mar 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino watches the starting lineup introductions prior to the game against the Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The St. John's Red Storm have won the Big East regular-season title for the first time since 1985, as they clinched the conference with a victory over Seton Hall on Saturday.

St. John's improved to 26-4 overall with the triumph and look poised to embark on an NCAA Tournament run for the first time in nearly three decades.

It's no coincidence that the Red Storm are suddenly achieving major success with head coach Rick Pitino, who took over the program last year and nearly led St. John's to the Big Dance in his debut campaign (and a legitimate argument can be made that the Red Storm should have gotten in).

This will mark the sixth team Pitino has taken to an NCAA Tournament, and St. John's president Rev. Brian Shanley is well aware of the impact that the 72-year-old has had.

“This is what I hoped when we hired Rick,” Shanley said, via Newsday. “That we would get back to where we are right now, contending for a National Championship. This is just the beginning in my book.”

Shanley then went on to place a bold label on Pitino, who is widely viewed as one of the greatest coaches in the sport.

“He’s a magician. He’s a genius,” Shanley added.

Pitino owns a lifetime record of 880-310, good for a sparkling .739 winning percentage. He also owns a pair of national championships, first winning with Kentucky in 1996 and following with a title at Louisville in 2013.

We'll see if Pitino can add another notch to his legacy in March Madness.