"It's just not something I like": Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino drops a stern verdict on college basketball’s NIL landscape and transfer portal

Rick Pitino has always been vocal about his dislike of the way college basketball is progressing through the year. The introduction of NIL and the transfer portal changed the scene entirely. While some coaches don't mind it, others, like Pitino, are not its biggest fans.

In a conversation with the "Pardon My Take" podcast, the St. John's coach said:

"I'm not enjoying what goes on right now in college basketball. I took Peyton, Russ Smith or Donovan Mitchell, Terry Rozier, we nurtured them through to become really good ... It's about growing. I'm maybe looking at three guys returning next year and I gotta bring in 10. They all become free agents ... I really don't like about where I'm at right now."

"I was at Iona and the entire league was poached .... Every good player in the Mac was poached by another school and for someone growing up who loves college basketball, it's just not something I like," Rick Pitino added.

At the same time, Rick Pitino understood that the players were doing what was best for themselves and could not blame them. Pitino shared that if a player could make six figures, he would obviously choose that.

Rick Pitino insults the St. John's roster and it brings in the wins

The St. John's Red Storm had a pretty good start to the season going 11-4 in the first 15 games. However, their fortunes changed after their loss to Creighton on Jan. 12.

The following eight losses in ten games caused Rick Pitino to go on a fiery rant on Feb 18 after the loss to Seton Hall. He called out players, the program and the coaching staff for slacking and giving up the good lead in a post-game media conference.

While he did apologize for his harsh words later, it seemed to have done the trick for the team. Seton Hall was their last defeat as the Red Storm went on to post five consecutive wins and wrap up their season on a high. Rick Pitino admitted that his speech was a motivational ploy and even the players had his back, saying their coach's words were out of love.

“We know how much he loves us and cares about us and how much he cares about winning, so I don’t think guys really took it too much to heart,” senior Jordan Dingle said. (via The Athletic)

Rick Pitino's former student, Tony Delk, also shared similar feelings about the coach.

“The one thing I can say about Coach is he is brutally honest. It might be harder for this generation to accept that, but we accepted it, responded to it, and he got the most out of us. If I was those kids, I would stay and I would listen to him,” Delk said. (via The Athletic)

According to the latest bracketology from ESPN, St. John's is a potential No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.