Former Knicks Coach Surfaces With St. John's

St. John's, of course, plays at MSG as its part-time home, moving to Manhattan for high-profile games, as well as the annual Big East Tournament. The Red Storm is currently coached by another former Knicks boss in Rick Pitino, who is entering his third year at the helm.

It's hardly surprising to see Pitino lend Thibodeau a helping hand, as the two have been friends for decades. Pitino was one of many who questioned why Thibodeau was relieved of metropolitan duty, especially after guiding the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals showing in a quarter-century.

"I feel bad for Thibs because he captured all of New York, built something very, very special," Pitino said during a June appearance at Yankee Stadium in video from SNY. "A lot of us don't comprehend what happened, but Thibs is going to be well taken care of and he'll move on to other pastures."

The reserved Thibodeau has mostly kept out of the public eye since the Knicks said goodbye. New York has since hired Mike Brown in his place but several of Thibodeau lieutenants, including Mark Brylant, Rick Brunson, Maurice Cheeks, and Darren Erman are said to be sticking around as assistants for the former Sacramento Kings boss' maiden metropolitan voyage.

It should be another raucous basketball season between 7th and 8th Avenue, as a fair amount of hype surrounds both the Knicks and Red Storm programs. Under Pitino's watch, St. John's (31-5) enjoyed its best victory output since the late Lou Carnesecca guided them to 31 in 1985-86 and likewise ended a 25-year drought by prevailing in the aforementioned Big East Tournament.

The Red Storm opens its 2025-26 season in Nov. 3 against Quinnipiac in Queens with its MSG debut staged against Alabama five days later.