"I take em to strip clubs and casinos": Hoops fans poke fun at Rick Pitino after St. John's coach wears clean white suit 

Rick Pitino found himself at the center of social media banter after donning an all-white suit while coaching the No. 12-ranked St. John’s matchup against the No. 19-ranked UConn on Friday. The Red Storm coach became the subject of jokes as fans took to Instagram on Sunday with playful comments on his outfit.

During the game on Friday, Pitino sported a pristine white suit on the sidelines, a fashion choice that quickly caught the attention of hoops fans as they immediately reacted to a post from "Slam," poking fun at Rick Pitino.

“Rick Pitino I take em to strip clubs and casinos," a fan commented.

Hoops fan pokes fun at Rick Pitino after St. John's coach's clean white suit - Image source: Instagram/slam

“The other Godfather,” another fan commented.

Another hoops fan pokes fun at Rick Pitino after St. John's coach's clean white suit - Image source: Instagram/slam

Other fans were also quick to react to the outfit in the comment section

Hoops fans poke fun at Rick Pitino after St. John's coach's clean white suit - Image source: Instagram/slam

Rick Pitino urges Big East to expand into a megaconference

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino called for transformative change in the Big East on Friday, urging the conference to expand and establish a super basketball league. Speaking on SiriusXM with former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Pitino expressed concern that the Big East is “missing the boat” by not growing its membership.

Pitino echoed a proposal previously made by Krzyzewski in January, who suggested a merger between the Big East and ACC to form a powerhouse conference.

“I’ve been trying to get them to start a super league basketball league And get up to 18 teams, 16 teams. Eleven is just not enough,” Pitino said. “We are not typical of the Big East of the past that was getting eight or nine, 10 teams in the NCAA tournament. So I think we are missing the boat if we don’t expand.”

This push for growth comes as other major conferences like the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 have secured lucrative media deals and expanded their footprints. Pitino suggested adding programs like Dayton, Saint Louis and Memphis to strengthen the Big East’s basketball brand. However, he acknowledged resistance from university presidents, who prioritize short-term financial implications over long-term growth.

“The presidents think about the bottom line,” Pitino said. “And it’s like a company like Uber starting out and they’re losing, you know, $500 million a year, but they understand 10 years down the road they’re gonna be making a billion dollars. We just can’t see that. We can’t see that there’s a lot of money to be made down the road if we form a super league”

Pitino believes most coaches support the idea, but convincing university leadership remains a challenge. The possibility of a merger with the ACC, which has 18 teams compared to the Big East’s 11, is enticing but logistically complex. Combining the two conferences would create a massive 29-team league, which Pitino admits is unworkable.

However, a trimmed-down alliance featuring marquee programs like Duke, North Carolina, UConn, Villanova and Marquette could be a basketball juggernaut with immense appeal.