Rick Pitino Apologizes for Ripping St. John’s Players: Never Want to Embarrass Them

Adam WellsFebruary 22, 2024

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Four days after criticizing his team following a loss to Seton Hall, St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino issued a public apology to the players on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after the Red Storm’s 90-85 win over Georgetown, Pitino called his players and family “the most important thing in my life” and he “would never want to embarrass them or hurt them.”

CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 @CBSSportsCBB”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.”

—@StJohnsBBall head coach Rick Pitino pic.twitter.com/Ez4p0HluML

St. John’s blew a 19-point lead in a 68-62 loss against Seton Hall on Sunday. Pitino ripped into not only his players, but the team’s facilities after that defeat. He said they “lack toughness” as part of a rant about Chris Ledlum not getting to the free-throw line in 29 minutes.

Pitino described both Sean Conway and Drissa Traore as “slow laterally.” Brady Dunlap was called “physically weak,” and the roster was “so non-athletic that we cannot guard anyone without fouling.”

The Hall-of-Fame coach called this season “the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime.”

St. John’s hired Pitino as its head basketball coach in March 2023. He was coming off a three-year run at Iona in which he went 64-22 and led the program to the NCAA tournament twice.

The Red Storm brought Pitino back to the Big East for the first time since 2012-13 when he was at Louisville. They were hoping he would be able to get the program back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Pitino is 14-12 with five games remaining in the regular season. St. John’s has a lower winning percentage this season than it did in 2022-23 under Mike Anderson (.545).

If the Red Storm want to make it into the 68-team field, they will most likely have to secure an automatic bid by winning the Big East tournament.