"Among the most compelling storylines in CBB": NCAAB analyst John Fanta raves about Rick Pitino’s masterclass in leadership for St. Johns

College basketball analyst John Fanta analysed Rick Pitino-led St. John’s performances this season in a column that he wrote for Fox Sports on Friday. Fanta spoke about the work that Pitino has put into turning St. John’s fortunes around from mere participants to one of the top teams in college basketball this season.

“The Red Storm have become the top story in New York sports at this moment, and, as the calendar gets set to turn to March, they're among the most compelling storylines in college basketball,” the analyst wrote in his column.

"At the age of 72, what Rick Pitino is doing for St. John's University could be argued as his finest act yet, taking a school that's been lost in the Stone Age and getting them to not just talk, but execute and win like they say they want to," Fanta added.

St. John's men's basketball team will look to secure its first outright Big East regular-season championship since 1985 when they face off against Seton Hall on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Fanta acknowledged that the Hall of Fame coach had won everywhere he'd gone in college basketball, but the analyst stated this was Pitino’s "finest act yet".

Rick Pitino turns St. John’s into big force within two years of his arrival

Rick Pitino celebrates a PC win in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. - Source: Imagn

Following a successful coaching career with his best results coming at Kentucky and Louisville, Pitino took charge of the Red Storm in 2023, and many viewed this as his biggest challenge yet. However, in just his second year, Pitino has managed to turn the program around.

After a respectable but unspectacular 20-13 campaign in his debut season, St. John's has taken a massive leap forward, emerging as the dominant force in the Big East. The team has made a statement with a string of high-profile victories, including two wins over reigning national champions UConn, and is now ranked No. 7 in the nation after a stellar campaign.

St. John's Red Storm is expected to be seeded No. 3 in the postseason, according to CBB expert Jerry Palmer, a feat that many wouldn't have expected them to achieve at the start of the season. A 76-60 win over Butler on Wednesday ensured that the Red Storm were guaranteed at least a share of their first Big East regular season title in 33 years.