Pitino lands new deal after leading SJU resurgence

Rick Pitino has signed a new deal with St. John’s, the school confirmed Sunday, a sign of the parallel renaissances of the once-moribund program and the coach’s career amid his journey back to the top of the sport.

The deal, sources told ESPN, includes an additional year through the 2029-30 season and a significant pay increase to make Pitino, 73, the Big East’s second-highest-paid coach, after UConn‘s Dan Hurley.

“We’re thrilled that Coach Pitino has signed a new agreement to remain at St. John’s, a deal that will keep him in Queens through the end of the decade,” athletic director Ed Kull said in a statement. “This extension reflects our strong confidence in his leadership, vision, and commitment to our student-athletes.

“Coach Pitino has changed the culture of our community and we want his presence to be felt on this campus for years to come. We look forward to more Big East championships and NCAA tournament runs with Coach Pitino at the helm.”

The Red Storm, coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999, are the fourth program Pitino has taken to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. St. John’s lost to Duke on Friday, only the second defeat for Pitino in 14 visits to the Sweet 16 — and just the second loss for this season’s Red Storm in their final 23 games.

The new deal comes in the wake of historic back-to-back seasons for St. John’s, which became the first program in Big East history to win both the regular season and Big East tournament in consecutive years.

Pitino is in his third year at St. John’s, where he has an 81-25 record and two NCAA tournament appearances. St. John’s has won 20 or more games in all three of Pitino’s seasons and 30 or more in each of the past two.

The return of St. John’s has reestablished the program as relevant in New York. The Johnnies have routinely played in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden and brought an energy to the program not felt in nearly a generation.

This all came in the wake of Pitino rebuilding his career in the wake of his firing from Louisville after the federal investigation into college basketball in October of 2017. He coached professionally in Greece before returning to Iona in 2020-21 and leading the Gaels to two NCAA appearances in three seasons.

The commitment to St. John’s is significant, as it shows faith in Pitino and a continued investment in the program. The winning by St. John’s under Pitino has shown the importance in investing in revenue share and NIL to secure top rosters.

St. John’s finished 30-7 this season and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the country.