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Rick Pitino Makes College Basketball History After St. John's Tournament Bid

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 3:57 PM ET

Rick Pitino, in his second season as the head coach of the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team, is going back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years.

After cruising through the Big East during the regular season, St. John's earned an automatic bid to the field of 68 following their win over the Creighton Bluejays in the Big East championship.

Now, the Red Storm has earned the No. 2 seed in the West Region of the NCAA tournament, the same region as their Big East counterpart and two-time defending champion UConn Huskies.

With his latest tournament bid, Pitino has entered a league of his own in the college basketball coaching world.

Pitino now becomes the first and only head coach in Division I men's basketball history to make the NCAA tournament with six different teams, according to UK Sports Network's Corey Price.

"Rick Pitino is the first Division I men's basketball head coach to lead 6 different programs to the NCAA Tournament (Boston, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John's)"

Rick Pitino is the first Division I men's basketball head coach to lead 6 different programs to the NCAA Tournament (Boston, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John's)
— Corey Price (@coreyp08) March 16, 2025

Pitino made his first tournament appearance as a coach in his fourth season with Boston University in 1982-83. After a brief stint with the New York Knicks, Pitino became the coach of the Providence Friars, leading them to the Final Four in his second season.

Pitino went on to coach the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals from 1989 to 2017 (with a brief stint coaching the Boston Celtics from 1997 to 2001). He made numerous tournament appearances and won two championships but had won of them vacated due to a scandal.

After his time at Louisville, Pitino had a few years off before joining Iona in 2020, leading them to two tournaments before joining St. John's in 2023.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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