"Very close team off the court": Saint John's HC Rick Pitino clears the air on Red Storm's chemistry following huge upset win against Creighton

Following his scathing comments about his team the previous Sunday, St. John's coach Rick Pitino has backtracked from it all, praising them once again. St. Johns pulled off a massive 80-66 win over No. 15 Creighton on Sunday. This time, he praised his team and complimented their chemistry.

“This is the closest players and coaches I’ve ever been involved with," Pitino said. "I was doing that (last Sunday) intentionally, but it came off the wrong way. I apologized and we’ve moved on. But we are a very, very close team off the court."

Rick Pitino's previous comments about Red Storm

On Feb. 18, the Red Storm lost 68-62 to Seton Hall, causing Rick Pitino to unleash a tirade on his team and coaching staff.

“This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime," Pitino said. "This has been so disappointing. We kind of lost this season with the way we recruited. We recruited the antithesis of the way I coach. It’s a good group, they try hard, but they’re just not very tough.

“We had to put together a team at the last second. We will never, ever do that again.”

St. John’s was 12-4, ranked 34th in the NET and was well on its way to the NCAA Tournament in Pitino’s first season in early January. But after a win against Providence on Jan. 10, the Red Storm lost eight of their next 10 games. This led to them almost falling off the imaginary bubble, and Rick Pitino was not happy. That led to his comments the previous Sunday.

However, later in the week, after a 90-85 victory at Georgetown, he said that he had apologized to the team and the staff after they expressed that they were upset.

“I said to my staff, 'Any of the guys upset?' They said, 'A couple of feelings are hurt,'" Pitino said. "I immediately went (to talk to) the team and told them I absolutely love you guys. I would never, ever want to embarrass you. But it’s my bad. I’m at fault.

“These guys have never failed me. I have failed them with the fundamentals."

While his words may seem harsh to some, former and even current players know that it is the Rick Pitino style. He is known to be brutally honest with his players, as he wants the best from them. Being a touch coach who rarely spares feelings is probably the reason why he has taken three different programs to a Final Four and won two national championships (with one vacated).

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