Rick Pitino reveals intimidation factor and jail strategy used with 7'1 Ryan Kalkbrenner as a roadblock to St John's Big East Tournament win

The St. John's Red Storm, coached by Rick Pitino, just accomplished a feat they haven't done in about a quarter of a century. As the top-ranked team in the Big East conference and the No. 6-ranked team in the country, they banked on the campaign they've had by taking home the 2025 conference tournament championship for the first time since 2000.

They won the chip by defeating the second-seeded Creighton Bluejays by a staggering 16 points, 82-66, in the championship game on Saturday. This accomplishment also comes with them winning the 2024-2025 conference regular season title after 33 years.

During his post-game interview while celebrations were underway, Pitino was asked about the key factors he noted that led to the historic victory. He said that they adjusted by focusing on attacking the Bluejays' 7'1 stalwart, Ryan Kalkbrenner, which they gained much points from.

"I think we were a little intimidated by their big guy who plays a one-man zone in the middle and when we weren't hitting the mid-range shots, we got a little intimidated," Rick Pitino said. "At halftime, I said, 'Look, we're taking it to the rim. Use the rim as (a) jail. Put him in jail, make sure he can't cut through iron or take your three," [0:33]

Rick Pitino's team was led by spitfire scorer RJ Luis Jr., who led the game with 29 points on an efficient 11-of-18 clip, 10 rebounds and one assist, while Zuby Ejiofor supplemented the charge with 20 markers of his own, three boards, three dimes and a swat.

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Rick Pitino believes his team will stay hungry for success in the national tournament

Later on in the interview, Rick Pitino was asked about how he would deal with his St. John's Red Storm squad, who are reaping in their first taste of success in collegiate basketball. Considering he is highly regarded as a legendary college coach, there is no doubt for him that he has guided his players to always stay the course for more success.

"Well, if you watch us practice, you don't embrace anything. I think I'm of the feeling that away from the lines, celebrate, have an awesome time. Between the lines, go to work, get better. We've kept that the whole season. So, they're not going to embrace success, they've handled adversity being down all season long. They don't embrace it when they're up," Pitino explained. (2:25)

"They're a good group of guys," he concluded.

The Red Storm are now awaiting their official ranking for the NCAA national tournament later this month, with Selection Sunday slated for 6:00 p.m. ET on Mar. 16.