“I think we should all never mention that word again because I think it’s fraudulent.”
Rick Pitino’s highly underwhelming season with the St. John’s men’s basketball team unraveled even more on Sunday when the team was not selected to participate in the 2024 NCAA tournament. Afterward, Pitino ripped the NCAA’s NET rankings system, which evaluates a team’s resume throughout the season.
St. John’s men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino is still not having fun. Just weeks ago, he went on an unhinged rant about his team after a disappointing loss. He left no stone unturned when finding words to express his displeasure. Pitino eventually apologized for his behavior, but old habits die hard.
After St. John’s failed to qualify for the 2024 NCAA tournament, Pitino panned the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking system that the selection committee utilizes to help determine who should be eligible.
Rick Pitino calls NCAA's NET rankings system "fraudulent" in explaining why St. John's wasn't selected to the 2024 NCAA Tournament pic.twitter.com/JtFiALEjZc
Following Selection Sunday, he shared his thoughts on the NET system:
“I think we should all never mention that word again because I think it’s fraudulent…We tried to play a tough schedule. We tried to do things the right way, and we didn’t get in.
I never make excuses. I respect the committee for what they do. They give their time. They give their energy to it. They didn’t think that we measured up to their standards, and we’ll take it very positively like men and move forward. We’re not gonna gripe [or] say we got screwed. None of that helps. Bitterness does not help. I’ve had enough bitterness in my life to last a lifetime.”
Per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, St. John’s has declined to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), a postseason tournament for teams that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.
St. John's has told the NIT not to invite them to the tournament, per the school.
The apology should have been just as loud as the disrespect, Rick Pitino.
On Wednesday, Rick Pitino told the media that he apologized to the St. John’s men’s basketball team days after endorsing his wild postgame rant following a game against Seton Hall.
Somehow, Rick Pitino thinks we have forgotten what he’s done in the last four days, but we have not. The internet has the receipts. On Sunday, he ripped his team after a less-than-stellar performance against Seton Hall. Pitino described coaching St. Johns as the “most unenjoyable experience” of his lifetime. On Monday, Per ESPN, Pitino told Newsday that he stood by his words, saying, “I was pointing out exactly — in a monotone voice — why we lost… I was not ripping anybody.”
By Wednesday, Pitino was walking back his words by sharing that he apologized to his team after learning that his rant hurt several players.
"My family and my players, outside of breathing air, they're the most important thing in my life. That's why I'm still coaching today. They are the air that I breathe. I love them dearly. I would never want to embarrass them or hurt them."
If Pitino thought he was making his team tougher by ripping them, fine. At least stand by that. Be about the words you chose. But to endorse the words and then walk them back implies it was always about escaping accountability and saving an image.
What Pitino fails to realize is that — right or wrong — how a team performs is a reflection of its leader. So, if a team isn’t up to standard, you address it with them and ask yourself what you can do better as a leader, not deflect responsibility and embarrass them in public.
Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us at For the Win today. We greatly appreciate your time.
That’s something Rick Pitino has probably never said to his players. He doesn’t seem to appreciate much of anything they do at St. John’s.
I’m sure by now you’ve seen the rant Pitino went on about his team after their latest loss to Seton Hall. He publicly undressed his entire squad and its problems in front of cameras for the world to hear.
He called this job the “most unenjoyable experience” of his life. Honestly, is he sure about that? Because I can surely think of more than a few Pitino circumstances that seem like they might’ve been a bit more unenjoyable than coaching at St. John’s. I mean, that’s why he’s there in the first place, right?
Look, I get the frustration. St. John’s isn’t very good. The team is 2-8 in its last 10 games. But this isn’t just frustration — it’s bullying. It’s Rick Pitino using his power as a head coach to make his players feel as small as possible. He groaned on and on about how his players are “slow laterally” and “physically weak.” Those aren’t critiques — those are insults.
Plus, I’m sorry, but did I miss the part where somebody was holding him hostage and forcing him to coach this team? Everybody and everything suck so bad! …but he won’t leave.
Of course he won’t. There’s no cushy buyout and a clear path to a bigger job he can leech off of at the end of the road. He may never coach again if he does that because the sad reality is he just might not be good enough anymore. His best days as a head coach might be in the rearview mirror.
Ah, yes. There it is. The personal accountability Rick Pitino is terrified of taking here.
What he didn’t let us know in that rant is that these are all his players. This is the team that he orchestrated. This squad added 12 new players this offseason. This is the team he wanted. If they’re so bad and slow and weak, that’s on him.
As the head coach, it’s your job to get your players to play their best ball. It’s your job to make sure they’re able to sustain the 12-point lead they built. It’s your job to get your house in order after your team loses eight of the last 10 games. That’s why you’re paid what you’re paid.
Taking out your shortcomings on your unpaid “amateur” workforce while you literally make millions to fail is feckless. Period.
Be better, Rick Pitino. If you have it in you.
This is what being an adult looks like
(AP Photo/Matthew Putney)
Rick Pitino could probably learn a thing or two at his big age from Sheryl Swoopes here.
Remember the whole Caitlin Clark thing where Swoopes got some numbers wrong? She called the Iowa star and apologized for it. Meghan Hall has more here.
“It’s been a whirlwind month regarding the alleged beef between Sheryl Swoopes and Caitlin Clark. Fans have been in a frenzy since Swoopes said that she didn’t think Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark would make an immediate impact in the WNBA and implied that Clark’s previous pace to break Kelsey Plum’s NCAA scoring record was seemingly unimpressive. Those comments ignited hoops fans and even led to the team’s social media account getting involved. Then, things quickly escalated to “Don’t Be a Sheryl” and “Be a Sheryl” shirts flooding the internet. It was A LOT.
However, per Chantel Jennings of The Athletic, Swoopes recently revealed during a Baylor-Texas Tech broadcast that she had a conversation with Angel Reese via phone, and she also reached out to Clark to clear the air.”
Swoopes left out the glorious details here but, long story short, she apologized and told her that she respected her game. And I’m sure that means a lot to Clark, considering that Swoopes is a basketball legend.
It’s great to see the air cleared between these two.
The Nationals are not for sale
Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
If you were in the market to purchase a baseball team, it sounds like you should take Washington off of your radar. The Nationals are not for sale anymore. At least, that’s what Mark Lerner is telling the Washington Post.
Add this latest announcement to the list of confounding moves the Nationals have made since winning a World Series in 2019.
— And now the family has completely backed away from the idea of a sale
The Lerners are unpredictable. It’s hard to know what the future of this team holds or when it’ll even be competitive again.
The rebuild is moving along according to plan with Washington completely rebuilding its farm system. Ownership just has to be willing to spend again. Maybe, now that the Lerners are fully committed to the Nationals again, they will.
Don’t hold your breath on that, though.
Quick hits: Behold! MLB’s new awful jerseys … The 102 best NFL free agents … and more
“This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime.”
Rick Pitino isn’t mincing words about the 2023-2024 St. John’s men’s basketball team. He thinks they stink, and Pitino let anyone who would listen know it during a postgame meltdown.
The relationship between the St. John’s men’s basketball team and head coach Rick Pitino may not be the same after a recent postgame presser. St. John’s was up by as much as 19 points during their Sunday matchup against Seton Hall, including a 12-point lead at halftime. But, extremely leaky defense and lackluster energy down the stretch let Seton Hall back in the game. Eventually, it was too much for the Red Storm to handle, and Seton Hall would go on to win 68-62.
It’s not unreasonable to think a head coach would be steaming after a performance like that. Still, during Sunday’s postgame presser, Rick Pitino ripped the entire team with insult after insult and things got awkward in a hurry.
Among the things he fired off, Pitino called the team “unathletic” and said that it was the “most unenjoyable experience” he’s had since he’s been coaching. When asked if he was second-guessing his time at St. John’s, Pitino said, “No, not at all. It’s not St. John’s. It’s my team.” (See the 1:14 mark of the YouTube video below.)
YIKES.
On this morning's edition of "Get Up," during a conversation about St John's facilities, Bart Scott jokingly asked if the program isn't getting residuals from "Coming to America."
More Scott on Rick Pitino: "He looks dead inside. Let's take the gray out, man." pic.twitter.com/AMQYNnPHoK
Ledlum re-entered the NCAA transfer portal on July 13.
He will play for first-year head coach Rick Pitino at St. John’s.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward is from Brooklyn, New York. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Ledlum averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season. He earned unanimous first-team All-Ivy League honors and was a first-team NABC All-District selection.
Before signing with Harvard, Ledlum was named 2019 Massachusetts Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Massachusetts.
Tennessee will tip off its 2023-24 season on Nov. 10 at Wisconsin.
NEWS: Chris Ledlum, former Tennessee signee and Harvard transfer, has committed to St. John’s, a source tells @On3sports.
Wilcher’s announcement is part Coming to America, part Nas and part basketball highlight reel.
High school hoopers are on another level when it comes to style points for their college commitments. One of the best we have seen came out on Monday when Roselle Catholic (N.J.) four-star guard Simeon Wilcher announced his commitment to St. John’s with a slick video.
Wilcher’s announcement is part “Coming to America,” part Nas and part basketball highlight reel. Watch.
The commitment announcement by Simeon Wilcher to St. John’s.
Wilcher (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) is No. 4 overall in New Jersey, No. 7 among combo guards and No. 34 nationally in the class of 2023, going by the 247Sports composite rankings. He also had offers from 13 other programs, including Nebraska and North Carolina.
What the Michigan basketball roster will look like in 2023-24 is still a blur and who the Wolverines will face is still unkown other than the home and away Big Ten slate.
But we do know who the Wolverines will face in the annual Gavitt Games. The Big Ten and Big East pair up for the Gavitt Games which began back in 2015. Since this little two-conference tournament only features half the teams each season, the Wolverines did not participate in 2022.
According to Jon Rothstein, Michigan will take on the St. John’s Red Storm in 2023. The Wolverines will travel to take on the Red Storm and the game adds some intrigue since Rick Pitino took over as the head coach for St. John’s starting this upcoming season.
NEWS: Matchups are set for the 2023 Gavitt Games, according to multiple sources.
Xavier at Purdue Marquette at Illinois Michigan at St. John's Maryland at Villanova Butler at Michigan St Iowa at Creighton Wisconsin at Providence Georgetown at Rutgershttps://t.co/m8mcWHwukJ
Michigan is 1-4 all-time against St. John’s. The last time the two teams squared off was back in 2000 when the Red Storm took down the Wolverines, 97-83.
Neither Michigan or St. John’s made the NCAA Tournament last year.
The Badgers officially welcomed transfer wing AJ Storr on Wednesday, joining Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team after one year at St. John’s.
The Badgers officially welcomed transfer wing AJ Storr on Wednesday, joining Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team after one season at St. John’s. The 6-foot-6 athlete was a former four-star recruit and will boost the Badgers’ lineup depth in 2023.
Storr appeared in all 33 games with the Red Storm during his freshman season, averaging 8.8 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from deep. His campaign was good enough to earn him a spot on the Big East All-Freshman team.
Coming to Wisconsin, Storr will be expected to help ease the loss of guard Jordan Davis, who officially transferred to Illinois State on Tuesday. Overall though, considering his size and scoring ability, Storr could step right into being a main cog in the Greg Gard’s offense.
St. John’s Red Storm defeat Purdue, 66-64, and advance the the Round of 64 in the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA tournament.
St. John’s Red Storm defeat Purdue, 66-64, and advance the the Round of 64 in the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA D1 tournament. The Red Storm held the lead for the majority of the game, but Purdue made a late run in the fourth quarter and almost took the game.
St. John’s made 11 three-pointers in the game with senior guard Unique Drake accounting for 4 of those buckets. Jayla Everett, a redshirt senior, led the Storm with 20 points and Drake put down a solid 16 points.
For thousands of young basketball players across the country, playing in the NBA is the ultimate dream. Anything short of that can feel like a failure.
However, not everyone can make the NBA. There are only 450 roster spots, and only a small fraction of those open up each year. For players who prove good enough to play professionally while being unable to crack one of those coveted spots, international play has always been a great alternative. Playing overseas has provided countless players the opportunity to extend their careers and get paid doing something they love. No one is a better example of that than Omar Cook, the former St. John’s guard who announced his likely retirement Saturday at 40 years old.
Omar Cook, the No. 4 all-time in assists average in EuroLeague, bids an emotional farewell to basketballpic.twitter.com/mlFHQrwKIm
If you’ve never heard of Cook, it’s not your fault. He’s been playing in European leagues since 2006. But make no mistake, the former McDonald’s All-American was a legend at home in New York City before his one year in college. As a freshman at St. John’s in 2000-01, he was second in the country in assists per game at 8.7 and led the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game.
However, Cook’s decision to come out of a college after that year backfired, as he waited until the second round of the 2001 draft to hear his name called. After being selected by the Orlando Magic, he bounced around the D League a few years and played just 22 NBA games before making his way to Europe.
Instead of letting that decision define him, Cook stuck with his passion and turned himself into a mainstay overseas for nearly two decades. He’ll finish his career as the Liga ACB all-time leader in assists per game — sixth all-time in total assists — and he’s top 15 all-time in EuroCup assists, according to Basketball-Reference. His NBA dream didn’t work out but he was still able to make a name for himself in basketball. And he should be celebrated for that.
