Rick Pitino's newest endeavor for rebuilding will lead him to Providence, the place where he once achieved one of the greatest upsets in history. March Madness led the Friars to the 1987 Final Four, making history.
His path to another possible Final Four with St. John's will cross several prominent coaches in the industry, including one who later had success at Kentucky after he left.
Pitino will be accompanied in Rhode Island by Kansas’ Bill Self and Arkansas’ John Calipari, bringing three Hall of Fame coaches under one roof at the lower part of the West Region bracket. Including UConn’s Dan Hurley, who has steered the Huskies to back-to-back national titles, this assembles an impressive lineup of mentors in the West region.
St. John's starts with a game against Omaha, whereas Calipari and Self are set to go head-to-head as they bring together coaching experience that includes three national titles and over 1,600 victories.
I informed my team last week: you watch, 7 versus 10, we'll end up facing Arkansas," Self stated on Sunday. "Feel free to ask anyone from my staff.
Pitino has excelled in his area of expertise at St. John's by facilitating a rapid improvement.
In his second year as head coach for St. John’s, the 72-year-old mentor brought the university team back into the spotlight nationally, securing them the school’s first Big East tournament championship since 2000. Throughout various coaching positions including stints at Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, and Iona, Pitino achieved remarkable success; he became the inaugural coach to guide six distinct teams to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"I left the best for last," Pitino stated following St. John's game. beat Creighton 82-66 during the Big East championship game on Saturday evening.
Pitino achieved many of his biggest victories at Kentucky, guiding the Wildcats to the national title in 1996 and taking them to the Final Four the following year prior to moving on to their rivals, Louisville. At Louisville, he brought home a national championship in 2013 but was later dismissed due to recruiting infractions.
In their inaugural season with Tubby Smith at the helm, Kentucky clinched a national title. Over his nine-year tenure in Lexington, Smith was eventually succeeded by Billy Gillespie. Following the Wildcats' failure to make the NCAA Tournament in 2009, they brought aboard Calipari after he steered both UMass and Memphis unexpectedly into the Final Four.
Calipari guided Kentucky to win the 2012 national title and reached three Final Fours before moving on to Arkansas. There, he steered the Razorbacks back into the NCAA Tournament following a period when they missed out during their final year under Eric Musselman, who currently coaches at USC.
"I've been doing this for many years, and this might be the most fulfilling season for me because I have a group of talented young players who faced some initial challenges," Calipari stated.
Calipari's career began as a graduate assistant at Kansas, where Self has kept one of college basketball's bluebloods a deep shade of blue.
The ex-Illinois mentor guided the Jayhawks to a national title during his fifth year in 2008 and secured an additional one in 2022. Seeded seventh in the West Region, Kansas will face tenth-seed Arkansas; the victor might get the opportunity to challenge Pitino's Red Storm.
It’s going to be an exciting and competitive match," Self commented about playing against Arkansas. "We’ll need to perform at our best to come out victorious, and I’m sure they’ll also have to bring their A-game to secure a win.
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