"They don't make coaches like this anymore": Fans react as Rick Pitino locker room eruption goes viral

Rick Pitino hasn't mellowed a bit since taking the coaching job at St. John's. On Tuesday, New York Post reporter Zach Braziller posted a clip on X (formerly Twitter) from the Vice Sports show "Pitino: Red Storm Rising" of the St. John's coach lashing out at his players inside the locker room during halftime against the Providence Friars.

St. John's entered the break down by 13 points in the game against Providence on Dec. 20, causing Pitino to lose his mind. He delivered a fiery speech to rally his troops after their lackluster showing in the first half, which saw St. John's trail 42-29 after 20 minutes of play.

“Dig in and be a basketball player. Dig in,” Pitino said. Every time you miss a shot, your game deflates. We don’t care about your missed shots. Play f***ing defense. You guys keep blowing opportunity upon opportunity upon opportunity."

Rick Pitino questioned his players' toughness and mental strength before concluding his message with them having to deal with adversity.

"Don’t you know what adversity is all about? That’s the f***ing game of life, not the game of basketball. You don’t f***ing get down when things go wrong. You dig in and get tougher. Your whole life’s gonna be adversity. Learn how to f***ing deal with it," Pitino added.

College hoops fans took to X to react to Rick Pitino's viral clip.

"They don’t make coaches like this anymore," one fan claimed.

"Pitino knows what he’s doing and he knows about college basketball," one fan wrote.

"Would run through a wall for this guy, Saban and these types of coaches. He is fired up, but is oozing with confidence at the same time. Fire it up," one fan replied, referencing former Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Here are some other reactions to Pitino's speech.

"Wow, those kids are going to benefit immensely long after he’s gone," one fan shared.

"Wow, what a coach! He is a winner and a teacher of life," one fan posted.

"Gotta love this guy as a coach. Not many of the O.G's left now. Gotta appreciate them while they are here," one fan tweeted.

Zuby Ejiofor steps up for Rick Pitino in comeback win over Providence

The St. John's Red Storm responded to Rick Pitino's halftime message, recording a come-from-behind 72-70 win over the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Zuby Ejiofor helped St. John's complete the comeback victory, scoring the game-winning jumper at the buzzer.

Ejiofor recorded a double-double in the road win, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The junior forward shot 7-of-14 from the field and 5-for-12 from the free-throw line.