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St. John's Makes Major Rick Pitino Announcement on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated May 6, 2025 10:15 PM ET

The St. John’s Red Storm had been a struggling program for more than a decade—until legendary head coach Rick Pitino came aboard. Hired ahead of the 2024 season, Pitino has completely transformed the trajectory of St. John’s basketball in just two short years.

While many veteran coaches have stepped away from the game amid the rapid evolution of college athletics—particularly with NIL and the transfer portal taking center stage—72-year-old Pitino has not only embraced these changes but has thrived in managing them.

After narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament in his first season, Pitino dove into the transfer portal and made several key additions. The result was a remarkable 31–5 overall record this past season, along with Big East regular-season and tournament titles.

On Tuesday, with the offseason already underway, St. John’s announced a major honor: Pitino has been named the recipient of the Herbert V. Hess Award, given annually to the university’s Coach of the Year.

Congratulations to Coach Rick Pitino on winning this year’s Herbert V. Hess Award! pic.twitter.com/h2mJP8FyZ6
— St. John's Red Storm (@StJohnsRedStorm) May 7, 2025

St. John’s clinched a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and while they were upset in the Round of 32 by Arkansas, the program is clearly trending in the right direction. They've already made a major splash this offseason, landing what many are calling the top transfer portal class in the nation.

Despite losing key contributors such as RJ Luis Jr., Big East Player of the Year Kadary Richmond, and standout guard Deivon Smith, the Red Storm reloaded quickly. They kicked off their offseason by adding former five-star sharpshooter Joson Sanon from Arizona State.

The momentum continued with the additions of versatile forward Bryce Hopkins, North Carolina’s Ian Jackson, Cincinnati's Dillon Mitchell, and Oziyah Sellers from Stanford—along with several other strategic moves that are expected to have a significant impact on the roster.

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

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