Rick Pitino Stands Behind Brutally Blunt Criticism of St. John’s Players

The St. John’s Red Storm men’s basketball coach didn’t regret going scorched earth on his players earlier this week.

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is firmly standing behind his scathing tirade about his own players after Sunday’s 68—62 loss to Seton Hall.

When asked Monday whether he wanted to clarify any of his postgame comments from that night, Pitino said, “I’m fine with what I said.”

The Red Storm blew a 19-point lead against the visiting Pirates in the critical Big East loss, prompting Pitino to blast the program’s recruiting process and even call out players by name in a 15-minute rant.

“I truly wasn’t ripping anybody,” Pitino told Newsday on Monday. “I was pointing out exactly—in a monotone voice—why we lost. … I am not always calm and certainly not when I rip someone. … I sometimes want my players to hear my words and read my words. That was my intention.”

St. John’s men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino, shown during Sunday’s game against Seton Hall, candidly critiqued players by name after the Big East loss :: Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports

The 71-year-old Hall of Fame coach also explained his frustrations over St. John’s second-half collapse, when his team had no answer for Seton Hall’s 10—3 run in the final three minutes.

“I was very discouraged because our game plan was to not foul because they’re a great foul-shooting team—it was a point of emphasis,” Pitino told Newsday. “In the first half, we did an excellent job of that. And then in the second half, we fouled. And we’re beating ourselves by doing that.”

St. John’s (14–12, 6–9 Big East) has lost eight of its past 10 games, and Pitino and his team are long shots to earn an NCAA tournament berth. Up next is a road matchup against Georgetown on Wednesday.