Pitino is sorry for ripping SJU players: ‘I’m at fault’
Rick Pitino changed his tune amid a chorus of criticism.
The St. John’s basketball coach apologized after his condemnation of the reeling Red Storm’s athleticism and toughness following Sunday’s loss to Seton Hall earned swift backlash.
“I went home and talked to my wife and came back and said to my staff, ‘Any of the guys upset?’” Pitino said Wednesday night after St. John’s beat Georgetown. “They said a couple of [their] feelings are hurt. I immediately went to the team and told them, ‘I love you guys, I would never want to embarrass you, but it’s my bad.’ I’m at fault. I should have never mentioned anybody by name.”
The mea culpa came three days after Pitino, 71, declared this season, his first with St. John’s, the “most unenjoyable experience” of his five-decade coaching career. Pitino’s Red Storm had just blown a 19-point lead in a 68-62 loss to Seton Hall, marking their eighth defeat in 10 games.
“Our lateral quickness and our toughness are just something I’ve never witnessed in all my years of coaching,” Pitino said during Sunday’s postgame press conference. “We are so non-athletic that we can’t guard anybody without fouling.”
Pitino named multiple players during the eyebrow-naming address, which commanded national scrutiny. The title-winning coach initially defended his remarks, telling Newsday on Monday he “truly wasn’t ripping anybody” and was trying to send a message to his players.
In Wednesday’s apology, Pitino made clear he recruited the players he criticized.
“It was all me,” Pitino said. “I’m very proud to have them, but I totally apologize to them for doing that. … I wasn’t ripping them, that wasn’t my intent, but words matter.”
He continued, “My guys are the most important thing. My family and my players, outside of breathing air, they are the most important things in my life. That’s why I’m still coaching today. They are the air that I breathe, and I love them dearly. I would never want to embarrass them or hurt them.”
St. John’s hired Pitino in March to restore a once-proud program with only three NCAA Tournament appearances since 2002 and none since 2019. Pitino overhauled the roster, bringing back only two players from last year’s team, including leading scorer and rebounder Joel Soriano.
The Johnnies’ prolonged swoon caused considerable damage to this year’s tournament hopes. With Wednesday’s 90-85 win at Georgetown, the Red Storm improved to 15-12 this season and 7-9 against the Big East, putting them eighth in the conference.
Pitino has delivered differing degrees of criticism of his players at postgame press conferences all season. The New York native initially didn’t consider Sunday’s comments to be controversial, he said Wednesday.
“The slowest player in the NBA is [Denver’s Nikola] Jokic. He can’t move laterally,” Pitino said. “Some of the greatest players I’ve coached can’t move laterally. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I should have never ever mentioned the names. I’m a veteran coach. I tell every young coach in the business, show class when you win, show class when you lose. Give the other team credit.”