"I've just turned 101": Rick Pitino jokes about his old age while reminiscing 50-year coaching career and ending St John's 40-year drought

Coach Rick Pitino led the St. John's Red Storm to their first regular season Big East title last week for the first time in forty years. The Red Storm coach turned around the side who are now projected as No. 3 seeds in the upcoming March Madness.

Off the court, on Thursday's segment of the "Tonight Show," the legendary Pitino and his team sang a sea shanty alongside host Jimmy Fallon. The former Kentucky Wildcats coach joked to Fallon about how long he had been coaching vis-a-vis St. John's last Big East title win.

"Well, I coached the Knicks in my 30s. 40 years ago when they won the Big East, I was named the Providence coach and coached against Lou Carnesecca the following year," Rick Pitino said. "I've been coaching for 50 years. I just turned 101 (years)."

Rick Pitino reveals going for an interview on wedding night

During his appearance on the "Tonight Show," Rick Pitino told a hilarious story about interviewing for a coaching job with coach Jim Boeheim for the Syracuse Orange on his wedding night (1976). He revealed how he broke the news to his wife Joanne Minardi.

“I said ‘I’ve got great news — I got a job,’” Pitino said. “Now, I didn’t tell her I was interviewing for the Syracuse University job. I said ‘Two problems. One, it’s Syracuse, New York.’ She says ‘Upstate New York? Syracuse? With 120 inches of snow?’ I said ‘Yes, but it’s a great job and Jim Boeheim’s terrific.’”

The St. John's coach further revealed how they had to cancel their planned honeymoon in Hawaii since he had to go on a recruiting trip the next day forcing his wife to stay with the coach while he was away.

Rick Pitino has since established himself as one of the best-ever coaches in college basketball. He won two national championships with the Kentucky Wildcats (1996) and Louisville Cardinals (2013) while becoming the first coach to lead three different schools to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

He has also revived the St. John's Red Storm into a challenger in the Big East and the country.