St. John's HC Rick Pitino teams up with $3,200,000,000 worth MLB franchise in special NYC collab

Modified Apr 09, 2025 18:10 GMT

MLB: Miami Marlins at New York Mets - Source: Imagn

Rick Pitino and his St. John's squad are finding ways to have fun this postseason. The veteran coach attended Wednesday's New York Mets game with Red Storm players Zuby Ejiofor, John Franco and Vince Iwuchukwu.

Pitino and his players showed off their New York City pride in Mets jerseys as they prepared to throw out the first pitch in the $3.2 billion worth MLB team's (per Forbes) home matchup against the Miami Marlins.

"If Zuby (Ejiofor) takes care of business ... it'll be a good start for the Mets, the hottest team in baseball," Pitino said in a pregame interview.

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St. John's found success in its second season under Pitino. The team finished atop the Big East for the first time since 1992 and became conference tournament champions for the first time since 2000.

Pitino guided the Red Storm to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years and their first Round of 32 game in a quarter of a century.

Pitino's No. 2-seeded St. John's team's March Madness run came to an end in the second round with an upset loss to No. 10 Arkansas, but the impact Pitino has had on the program cannot be minimized.

The coach and his Red Storm squad have been awarded the right to throw out the first pitch at the Mets game likely due to their strong season.

NCAA Basketball: Final Four-Coach of the Year Press Conference - Source: Imagn

Rick Pitino's coaching awards this season

Pitino had a big weekend. On Friday, he was named the Associated Press Co-Coach of the Year. He won Naismith Coach of the Year on Sunday. The St. John's coach became a first-time winner of both awards and the first coach to do so in the program's history.

Pitino has a coaching career dating back to 1975 and is best known for his stints at Kentucky and Louisville. Upon winning the Naismith Award, Pitino said that despite being 72 years old, he's just getting started.

“I’m in it 50 years and I’m just getting started in the business,” Pitino said. “I feel a new, new feeling inside of building St. John’s because in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, they had just a market of all the great players in the Northeast. Now we are bringing it back. It’s a special feeling.”

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round-Arkansas at St. Johns - Source: Imagn

Pitino will aim to continue leading St. John's to success in the coming seasons, but his influence on the 2024-25 season is forever commemorated by his coaching accolades.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat