“They’re unathletic”: When Rick Pitino sounded off on his St. John’s team before making the program a powerhouse

Rick Pitino has done a fine job at St. John's this season, leading the program to a regular season title. The top-seeded Red Storm also beat No. 9-seeded Butler 78-57 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.

However, it wasn't always so rosy and toward the end of his first season at St. John's, Pitino lashed out at his players for the team's dismal run. After the Red Storm's 68-62 defeat to Seton Hall in February 2024, Pitino gave a brutally honest take on his players.

Some coaches have been known to go in hard when talking about their players in order to challenge them, and Pitino certainly pulled no punches here:

“I think they’re unathletic,” Pitino said in his press conference (1:14). “I don’t think they move well laterally, I don’t think they can pick it up in the next week. I think they’re slow laterally. Sean Conway gives up everything he can, he's slow laterally. The five guys are slow laterally."

Pitino also said that his first year at St. John's was the most unenjoyable moment of his coaching career:

"Even the Celtics, when we lost, I enjoyed every minute being the Boston Celtic coach," Pitino said. "I didn't like the fact that we lost the following year, but this has been the most unenjoyable experience I've had since I've been coaching."

St. John's finished with a 20-13 record in Pitino's first season at the helm. The Red Storm have shown considerable improvement in his second year and are tipped among the favorites to win the national championship.

Rick Pitino's St. John's will face Marquette in Big East Tournament semifinals

NCAA Basketball: Big East Conference Tournament Quarterfinal - St. Johns HC Rick Pitino - Source: Imagn

After beating Butler, Rick Pitino's St. John's will face No. 5-seeded Marquette (23-9) in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament on Friday. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York.

Marquette beat No. 4-seeded Xavier 89-87 on Thursday to reach the semifinals of the conference Tournament.

St. John's will head into the contest with added confidence since the program beat Marquette twice earlier this season. The winner of this game will also get a crack at the Big East Tournament championship.