Rick Pitino has been a revelation at St. John’s in the 2024-25 season. Years after his recruiting scandal and dismissal from the University of Louisville, Pitino has climbed the ranks once again and has the St. John’s Red Storm ranked 6th in the nation. In their regular season finale against No. 20 Marquette, Pitino’s crew earned a buzzer-beating road win in overtime to finish 1st place in the Big East Conference
St. John’s Season of Destiny Continued on Saturday Against Marquette
Head coach Rick Pitino has guided St. John’s to their best season since the heyday of the Big East. At 27-4, the Red Storm are one of the top teams in the nation and should be among the title favorites entering March Madness. Saturday’s win over Marquette exemplified many of the areas the Johnnies excel in.
One of the best defensive teams in the nation, St. John’s still surrendered 32 points to Golden Eagles star Kam Jones, but still made tons of defensive plays down the stretch. There was a key steal by transfer guard Kadary Richmond at the end of regulation that contributed to forcing overtime, clutch rebounding in tight spots, and plenty of toughness that ultimately resulted in a win.
Richmond was incredible on the night, finishing with a 10-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double that is the first for the program since Ron Artest in 1999. Richmond had the aforementioned steal in regulation and a poke-away on a rebound that led to the game-winning basket from Zuby Ejiofor.
Ejiofor had 17 points and 12 rebounds on the day in a fantastic effort. Leading scorer RJ Luis went into takeover mode down the stretch, finishing with 28 points and 11 boards of his own. The junior had seven points in overtime to help the Johnnies prevail late. Luis is grateful for the win but also ready to take on all comers in the upcoming Big East tournament.
“We’re going to get ready for the Big East Tournament, because we want to win that, too.”
Rick Pitino Addresses the Media After the Unbelievable Win
Pitino continues to put stock into his team’s toughness and determination. One of the grittiest teams in basketball, Pitino characterized his squad’s preparation by saying they “practiced like we haven’t eaten in a week.” The hunger and desire displayed by the team through 40 minutes and the five extra minutes of overtime was a sight to behold.
As per Luis’ comments, Pitino is looking forward to the postseason, beginning with the Big East Tournament. While the goal remains being the team to lift the NCAA Tournament trophy in April, the team is ready to embrace the process of getting there. Pitino’s perspective is that the preparation is what makes champions come to life.
“You don’t just show up in March and say, ‘OK, this is what we are going to do.’ You prepare for it now, you prepare for it at the Big East Tournament. They did a fabulous job, just a tough-ass team. Toughness like you can’t believe.”
The Johnnies will be the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament, and will face a tough field to win the conference tournament. The likes of Connecticut and Marquette will be eager to knock off Pitino’s squad and enter March Madness with the most momentum possible. However, given the amount of close games St. John’s has found themselves winning all season, there’s no reason to believe the Red Storm won’t be able to prevail and potentially, be a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance as well.
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