Rick Pitino Rejects Return to Knicks

Pitino acknowledged that the Knicks and Red Storm are in similar spots entering their respective 2025-26 campaigns and that whoever takes the Knicks job will face unprecedented pressure when he takes the sideline.

“Who's going to go into the New York Knicks situation right now [where] anything short of the NBA Finals is going to be a disaster for this new coach?” Pitino said. “The pressure on this new coach, whoever it may be, is going to be probably the biggest amount of pressure I've seen in all my tenure rooting for the Knicks.”

“St. John’s is pretty much in the same ballgame as the New York Knicks,” Pitino continued. “Right now, the fans are starving. They were starving for a Big East championship. They were starving to make the tournament. We accomplished it. The New York Knicks [fan] is starving to win a championship . . . It's been a long, long time since the Knicks have won a championship.”

Ironically, the end of St. John's conference title drought coincided with Thibodeau and the Knicks ending an equally long stretch devoid of Eastern Conference Finals showings. It was enough to convince Pitino, and likely many more, that Thibodeau's Manhattan spot was secure but a shocking surprise awaited on Tuesday.

“I was actually sitting in shock when I heard,” Pitino recalled. “Right about 10 minutes prior to Thibs getting fired, I said to someone, ‘What is wrong with you? There's no way that Thibs is going to get fired. It shouldn't even be talked about.’"

If not himself, and if not Thibodeau. Pitino nominated former Villanova head coach Jay Wright to take the Knick helm. Wright, of course, oversaw the college days of the famed "'Nova Knicks" trio consisting of Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart, winning two national titles thanks to their talents and more.

Pitino acknowledged the differences between coaching in the collegiate and professional games and also that he wasn't sure if Wright would stop down from the cushy analyst spot at CBS Sports he has held since his retirement from the Main Line in 2022. Everything else, however, makes Wright a "home run" for a Knicks franchise that just endured its 52nd consecutive seasons without an NBA championship, the fifth-longest streak in the Association.

"Jay makes a lot of sense," Pitino said. "Obviously he's got the personality [for] New York, he’s got the charisma, he makes a lot of sense, obviously, with the Villanova guys [he coached in college]."

"Personally, I think Jay Wright would be a home run. Can you get him to do that? I’m not sure.”