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Rick Pitino Was Not Happy With Reporters After Monday Night's Loss

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 10:22 AM ET

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino wasn't in the friendliest mood after Monday's 83-82 loss to Iowa State.

The Cyclones remained undefeated with a back-and-forth Players Era victory over the Red Storm in Las Vegas. After the game, Pitino didn't have much patience with a reporter who asked about not calling a timeout down the stretch.

"We had two timeouts," Pitino said, via Fox College Hoops. "One for injury, and we ran the play that we wanted the time before. We had two timeouts in the last minute. One for an injury, and one they called it. That question is ridiculous, so go to the next one."

Pitino also seemed annoyed when the same reporter followed up with a question about how Dylan Darling fouling out affected the outcome.

"As I just told you, it had nothing to do with -- the guards played excellent defense," Pitino replied. "They didn’t come out with the blocking out on the glass. They got four offensive rebounds with the game on the line. It wasn't Dylan Darling. It was their ability to come up with the backboard, and our inability to come up with the rebound."

'You don't look at the right stats'

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - MARCH 20: Head coach Rick Pitino of St. John's Red Storm looks on during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Omaha Mavericks at Amica Mutual Pavilion on March 20, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Immediately after that exchange, a reporter noted that sophomore guards Joson Sanon and Ian Jackson combined to shoot just 4-of-16 from the floor. Before he could finish the question, Pitino interrupted to point out a different issue.

"You don't look at the right stats," Pitino said. "See, if you were looking at the right stats, you would say neither guy had a rebound. That's what you would say. Not the shooting percentage. You would give credit to the other team for playing good defense. And if you wanted to say something that they didn’t do, they didn’t rebound. So, the first part of your question is they played good defense. The second part is they didn’t rebound."

St. John's fell to 3-2 after Oziyah Sellers missed a potential go-ahead layup in the game's closing minutes. Pitino and the Red Storm will aim to bounce back against 4-0 Baylor on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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