"Stop being ordinary...Ego stops the work ethic": Rick Pitino gave a tough reality check to St John's players on professional basketball

Rick Pitino and his players are on the cusp of giving the St. John's Red Storm their first outright Big East title since 1985. Vice TV showed the St. John's coach's motivational skills in a preview of the latest episode of Pitino: Red Storm Rising, which the cable channel posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday.

Pitino talked to his St. John's players during one of their team meetings and challenged his squad to do what was beyond expected of them.

"If you’re going to be extraordinary, step up and be extraordinary," Pitino said. "Stop being ordinary. It’s all within reach for all of us, provided we have the humbleness to be patient and put in the work."

Rick Pitino urged his players to continue working hard, reminding them that they hadn't achieved anything yet despite their recent success.

"Ego stops the work ethic. It makes you think you’ve arrived. You haven’t. You’re just scratching your potential. And that’s why I don’t know if any of you guys will ever play professional basketball.

"If you’re going to change something, you got to put the time into it. Anything else is fool’s gold."

Pitino's message has resonated with his St. John's players, who are peaking at the right time. They have won 13 of their last 14 games, including each of their last three outings, to improve their Big East record to a conference-best 15-2 slate.

The Red Storm are coming off a dominant 89-75 win over the UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden on Sunday to complete a season sweep of the defending NCAA champions.

Rick Pitino's St. John's to face Butler next in key Big East clash

Rick Pitino and the seventh-ranked St. John's Red Storm will put their three-game winning streak on the line when they take on the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm looks on during the game against the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena on February 19, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Getty

St. John's can clinch a share of the Big East regular-season title with a win over Butler or a loss by Creighton to DePaul on that same day. The Red Storm defeated the Bulldogs 70-62 in their previous meeting on Jan. 4. RJ Luis Jr. starred for St. John's in that victory, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Luis has been a key piece for Pitino this season, averaging 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals through 27 games.