NEW YORK (AP) — Dressed in a charcoal suit and burgundy tie, Rick Pitino spent the first half pointing and shouting directions, waving his arms, and imploring one of his St. John’s players to “wake up!” after conceding an easy basket.
By late in the second half, the Hall of Fame coach was seated quietly at the front of the bench, his 71-year-old brain working overtime as he watched intently and pondered the next practice for his new team.
Pitino returned to big-time college basketball Monday night, stalking the Madison Square Garden sideline again in a humbling 89-73 loss to underdog Michigan. And while he certainly looked sharp on game day as usual, his overhauled squad featuring 12 newcomers did not.
“We’ve got to learn from it,” Pitino said. “We can’t beat the guys up over this.”
Pitino’s arrival has generated some Big Apple buzz for St. John’s, a storied program without much success to speak of this century. The school is 0-4 in NCAA Tournament games since its last victory in 2000, the same year the Red Storm won their most recent Big East Tournament title. They haven’t reached the conference semifinals since, even though the event is held annually on one of their home courts at The Garden.
Pitino, however, is a New York City native and proven winner everywhere he’s been — besides the Boston Celtics.
“He’s an ‘add water’ coach. What does that mean? He won’t need a lot of ingredients,” said Ed Cooley, the new coach at longtime rival Georgetown and, like Pitino, a former Providence coach.
“He’s one of five coaches in the country, in my opinion, that come with their own NIL — they come with their own ‘likeness.’ I would say Rick could be the greatest college coach of all time. He’s an ‘add water’ guy, for sure. He doesn’t need spices.”
Pitino made the rounds during the offseason, drumming up St. John’s support while throwing out the first pitch at a Subway Series game between the Mets and…
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