logo
St. John's men's basketball wins Big East for the first time since 1985, with Rick Pitino declaring Red Storm wants more

St. John's men's basketball wins Big East for the first time since 1985, with Rick Pitino declaring Red Storm wants more

Boston Globe02-03-2025

The celebration was modest because the Red Storm are eyeing other celebrations — such as their first Big East Tournament title since 2000 and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
'This is the answer to a prayer,' said St. John's President the Rev. Brian Shanley. 'This is what I hoped when we hired Rick that we would get back where we are right now – contending for a national championship. This is just the beginning in my book.'
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Stormed to the top of the BIG EAST at The Garden 🔴🌩️ Congrats
📷: Emma Wannie / MSGE
— MSG (@TheGarden)
Advertisement
For the first time since Chris Mullin led St. John's to the Final Four when the team was nicknamed the Redmen and coached by Lou Carnesecca, the Red Storm are the outright regular-season champs. St. John's hadn't even won a share of the title since 1992, the final season of Carnesecca's storied career on the sidelines.
The drought was the longest in Big East history, though several schools exited without any conference titles before spending anywhere near 33 years in the league.
This year, St. John's achieved the title in the same season Carnesecca died just a few weeks short of his 100th birthday on Nov. 30.
'We're very proud of the fact that in the year that he passed, because he led a great life, we can honor him with this championship,' Pitino said.
The Red Storm won the regular-season title after being picked fifth in the preseason poll and adding Kadary Richmond to go along with returnees RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor, who emerged as stars.
'I came here to challenge myself and try to take my game to the next level and obviously try to win at the highest level, which coach Pitino knows how to do really well and trying to learn from him,' Luis said. 'I think it's just a surreal feeling.'
Advertisement
After transferring from UMass, Luis averaged 10.9 points in 23 games last season while dealing with shin splints. Following offseason surgery, he's a leading candidate for Big East player of the year and averaging 17.7 points.
Ejiofor backed up Joel Soriano last season and emerged as a force down low by averaging 14 points and eight rebounds as St. John's ascended to the top of the Big East. The Red Storm won 11 straight from Jan. 4 to Feb. 7, in a stretch that included consecutive wins over Marquette and UConn, and are 18-0 in home games.
'It was a really proud moment,' Ejiofor said. 'It was a testament of the work that we put in the whole season from preseason until now we all believe that we could get to this moment.'
Zuby what a finish 😮‍💨
— St. John's Men's Basketball (@StJohnsBBall)
Last season, the Red Storm reached the semifinals of the Big East Tournament for the first time since 2000. Pitino's first season ended with a 95-90 loss to UConn, which dominated opponents en route to its second straight national title.
After guaranteeing St. John's would return to national prominence at his introductory press conference in March 2023, Pitino's first season featured a viral rant during which he lamented the team's athleticism following a loss to Seton Hall in February 2024.
Since airing his frustration, St. John's is 32-5, with the losses coming by a combined 12 points.
'In my lifetime, I never looked at that until it was written and I said, 'I better get this thing going.'' Pitino said. 'It is a little different than the other places I've been the second year because you have eight and nine players back and everybody understands everything you teach and the culture and the system are there.'
Advertisement
The turnaround continued a trend in Pitino's long coaching career that also included two seasons with the New York Knicks in the early portion of Patrick Ewing's career.
At his first stop as a head coach, BU was 21-9 in his second season. Providence went from 17-14 to 25-9, Kentucky jumped from 14-14 to 22-6, Louisville from 19-13 to 25-7, and Iona improved from 12-6 during a pandemic-abbreviated season to 25-8.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tennessee baseball year-by-year home run totals under Tony Vitello
Tennessee baseball year-by-year home run totals under Tony Vitello

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Tennessee baseball year-by-year home run totals under Tony Vitello

Tennessee baseball year-by-year home run totals under Tony Vitello Tennessee (46-19, 16-14 SEC) ended its 2025 baseball season with a fifth consecutive appearance in a NCAA Tournament super regional. The Vols also appeared in its sixth consecutive regional under eighth-year head coach Tony Vitello. Tennessee finished the 2025 season with 131 home runs to its opponent's 69 home runs. The Vols also hit 45 home runs in regular-season SEC competition, three more than their opponents (42). Andrew Fischer led Tennessee in home runs with 25. Gavin Kilen (15), Dalton Bargo (14), Dean Curley (14), Reese Chapman (13), Cannon Peebles (11), Levi Clark (10) and Hunter Ensley (10) hit 10-plus home runs in 2025. Stone Lawless (5), Chris Newstrom (5), Blake Grimmer (4), Manny Marin (3), Jay Abernathy (1) and Hunter High (1) also recorded home runs in 2025 for the Vols. Tennessee hit 184 home runs during its 2024 national championship season. Below are Tennessee's home run totals each season under Vitello. PHOTOS: Tony Vitello through the years Tennessee baseball year-by-year home run totals under Tony Vitello Year Home runs 2025 131 (45 SEC) 2024 184 (72 SEC) 2023 126 (50 SEC) 2022 158 (74 SEC) 2021 98 (45 SEC) 2020 31 (SEC games canceled) 2019 53 (19 SEC) 2018 42 (20 SEC) *Home runs in SEC regular-season games are in parenthesis (SEC games in 2020 were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic More: Inside Andrew Fischer's historic on-base streak at Tennessee in 2025 Tennessee baseball individual home run leaders each season under Tony Vitello Year Player 2025 Andrew Fischer (25) 2024 Christian Moore (34) 2023 Griffin Merritt (18) 2022 Trey Lipscomb (22) 2021 Jordan Beck, Luc Lipcius (15) 2020 Alerick Soularie (5) 2019 Andre Lipcius (17) 2018 Andre Lipcius, Benito Santiago (7) Tennessee baseball individual home run leaders in SEC games each season under Tony Vitello Year Player 2025 Andrew Fischer (11) 2024 Christian Moore (20) 2023 Zane Denton, Griffin Merritt (9) 2022 Luc Lipcius (13) 2021 Evan Russell (10) 2020 SEC games canceled 2019 Andre Lipcius (6) 2018 Brodie Leftridge, Andre Lipcius (4) Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

True freshmen shine as LSU baseball heads to College World Series
True freshmen shine as LSU baseball heads to College World Series

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

True freshmen shine as LSU baseball heads to College World Series

True freshmen shine as LSU baseball heads to College World Series True freshmen playing meaningful baseball in the SEC is a rarity with the talent level among all teams, but LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson takes a different approach it's paying off. Nobody in our league plays freshmen," Johnson said. "They just don't. We do, and they play pretty darn good baseball." In both rounds of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the youngsters gave LSU a boost. Derek Curiel remained a fixture near the top of the lineup while pitchers Casan Evans and Cooper Williams made high-leverage appearances. Curiel finished the West Virginia series with five RBI, four hits, including a home run, and three walks. Evans earned the win in relief during the regional championship game by throwing six innings of one run ball with 12 strikeouts. Williams pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in relief after the Tigers fell behind Little Rock. Johnson will continue to rely on the freshmen to move his team through the College World Series and beyond as he continues building the LSU program. "They just need to be themselves," Johnson said. "I'm proud of them for contributing on a team this good. To contribute as much as that has is awesome and they're the foundation of this thing moving forward." LSU will play begin its College World Series journey when the Tigers meet Arkansas at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday.

Can women's basketball teams catch up to UConn or South Carolina in a changing era?
Can women's basketball teams catch up to UConn or South Carolina in a changing era?

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Can women's basketball teams catch up to UConn or South Carolina in a changing era?

For decades, women's basketball was dominated almost exclusively by UConn and Tennessee, and then, for many years, only UConn's dynasty thrived. In recent years, other contenders have emerged periodically, but none have challenged the crown quite as well as South Carolina. Advertisement Until this past season, the Gamecocks and Dawn Staley had arguably taken the mantle from the Huskies and Geno Auriemma. Then, UConn returned to the top of the ladder and cut down the nets for the 12th time in program history, keeping this rivalry and battle for the top of the sport in flux. Slice it anyway, though, and it's obvious: No. 1 might be up for grabs, but it's these two heavyweights that everyone is chasing. NIL, the transfer portal and the recent House v. NCAA settlement, which established revenue sharing in college sports, have upended the landscape. However, due to their rich traditions and coaching acumen, UConn and South Carolina have remained mostly unscathed by the upheaval — and even benefited from it. The Gamecocks and Huskies signed two of the most highly pursued portal players, as Ta'Niya Latson, the nation's leading scorer, left Florida State for South Carolina, and Serah Williams, arguably the best big in the portal, left Wisconsin to choose UConn. This leaves every other coach in the nation strategizing and wondering what it will take to truly and consistently usurp perennial powerhouses UConn and South Carolina on the recruiting trail, the hardwood, or in March. Like much of the rest of big-money NCAA sports, women's basketball coaches are no longer prioritizing only building four-year players but winning with transfers who can be lured with lucrative NIL promises. Advertisement As complicated as the modern era of college athletics has become — a record 1,450 Division I players entered the transfer portal after last season — coaches understand they must work within the confines of this new system, which involves the portal acting as a faster on-ramp for roster building. NIL and revenue share are becoming additional incentives for players to consider other programs if they want to succeed. Fourteen power conference coaches interviewed by said they've completely altered how they build rosters, recruit and develop talent. 'Coaches are questioning, obviously: Is it even worth it to be in this business? What are we doing? What are we doing if we can't build a program and you're starting from scratch every year to build a team without any rules around it?' one power conference coach said. 'What are we doing? And why are we doing it?' 'I have to change. I have to pivot and plan for 50 percent attrition,' another power conference coach added. 'Time will tell if you can build a program (in this era). If I can't build a program, I'm not going to be doing it very long.' Advertisement Playing time, star roles and scholarships are no longer enough for coaches to retain players. Notable star players like Latson, Olivia Miles (Notre Dame to TCU) and Cotie McMahon (Ohio State to Ole Miss) switched programs. They were among roughly 300 power conference players who transferred this offseason — an average of about four players per power conference team. More than 20 percent of the transfer pool had already changed schools at least once. Among the 40 returning starters off Sweet 16 rosters, 10 transferred. Many coaches said this season's top portal players signed deals of upward of $700,000, and some unheralded underclassmen, due to their longer eligibility, were seeking deals of $ 300,000 or more. By comparison, the WNBA supermax this season is less than $250,000, with only four players receiving it. Meanwhile, less than a quarter of the league makes $200,000 or more. Yet, at the college level with limited post players in the portal, many coaches said programs needed to offer a premium of that kind to sign even a marginal big. Advertisement 'If you were a post player in the portal a month ago and you averaged three points a game at the Power 4, most of them were asking for $200,000 plus,' one power conference coach said. 'And you're like, 'You averaged 2.5 points per game.' ' Even highly successful programs are learning they might need to reset expectations after every season, given the uncertainty of attrition and what those defections mean for their own needs from the portal. Look no further than UCLA. The Bruins appeared in their first Final Four of the modern era and, in a previous era of the sport, would have been considered a prime contender in the 2025-26 season due to the experience returning players gained. Yet, after the Bruins' successful run, the entire freshman class, as well as Londynn Jones, a 31-game starter, and Janiah Barker, the Big Ten's Sixth Player of the Year, decided to transfer. It means UCLA coach Cori Close will be starting essentially from scratch after this core's graduation, rather than steadily building a program, with backups becoming role players and then starters, that is capable of taking down UConn or South Carolina in the Final Four. Advertisement Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 during the season, and despite a late collapse, seemed poised for a strong upcoming season. But after the Irish lost Miles to TCU, freshman key contributor Kate Koval to LSU and two other players, they dropped out of 's post-transfer top 25. USC seemingly has prime minutes up for grabs after losing star JuJu Watkins to an ACL tear. Still, Kayleigh Heckle and Avery Howell, two freshmen who figured to be centerpieces next season, entered the transfer portal. 'You had to think about sitting out a year, you had to think about the perception,' one power conference coach said about previous transfer implications. 'Now it's just normalized. If you lost two or three kids in a year, it used to be like, 'Oh my gosh, what's wrong at that school?' And that's just not the notion anymore.' Some coaches likened the roster turnover to coaching at the junior college level. 'If I can keep the kid for two years,' one said, 'I feel like I've won the lottery.' Advertisement Although most coaches are frustrated with the lack of oversight and guardrails in place from the NCAA over the past few seasons, they understand that it's also a shifting reality for them. In this era of limited regulation and hazy guidance, coaches and universities that are quick to adapt have had the upper hand, whether that means getting their collectives more involved (generally seen as acceptable among all coaches) or tampering with athletes (seen as illegal, but not currently regulated as such). Now, with the settlement finalized over the weekend, actual regulation is taking effect. As of last Saturday, college athletes were required to report NIL deals worth more than $600 to the newly established College Sports Commission for approval. On July 1, universities can begin making revenue share payments to athletes. The impact of these regulations on athletes' deals is currently unknown. Still, the NCAA has been clear that the NIL-specific regulation is intended to protect athletes from false deals, not to hinder their earning power. However, because the settlement had been pushed back — a decision was expected two months ago — universities and collectives were able to front-load deals, which created an arms race across conferences, which drove up the total 'cost' of rosters. Advertisement asked 12 coaches what they expect it would cost, between revenue share and NIL, to build a roster that could contend for their respective conference title. Multiple Big Ten and SEC coaches estimated the cost between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. Multiple ACC and Big 12 coaches said that building a championship roster costs between $1.5 million and $2.5 million. Most of those numbers exceed even the WNBA's team salary cap of just under $1.51 million. However, this number is a moving target. With impending legislation, coaches are uncertain about how it may change in the coming seasons, particularly with the establishment of revenue sharing and the creation of the College Sports Commission. Coaches said that while the leverage has shifted almost entirely to players, there are no safeguards in place for the programs or the collectives that act on their behalf. This movement leaves many coaches working on a year-to-year basis, unsure of what their rosters will look like or how much money they will have to fill potential holes. 'In true professional sports, I know I have this player under contract for four years and I can prepare for that player to go into free agency, or I know I have $200,000 coming off the books ahead of next year. Here, it's free agency every single year, and the tampering is out of control,' one coach said. 'So, please tell me how I do this. Tell me how to manage a roster when we don't know the rules.' Advertisement Regulation around NIL, collectives and revenue share could provide some stability, but even so, coaches expect both tampering and transfer numbers to remain high every season. From the 2020 high school recruiting class, 17 of the top 25 (and seven of the top 10) players transferred before the end of their college careers, including Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Hailey Van Lith. In the 2021 class, 13 of the top 25 players transferred, and 18 of the top 25 players in the 2022 class, now rising seniors, transferred. This attrition has had a ripple effect on how college coaches prioritize high school recruiting. Many staff chose not to send multiple (or any) coaches on the road this offseason for the first high school recruiting evaluation period, valuing hosting immediate impact players over seeing talent who wouldn't be on campus for a few years. That signals a significant shift in the overall recruiting philosophy. Five years ago, the lifeblood of almost every program was high school recruiting. Now, the portal offers another option. Multiple coaches said that their focus on high school recruits has decreased from 95-100 percent of their recruiting efforts to somewhere between 50-70 percent. Nearly 80 power conference freshmen transferred this offseason, so coaches also realize that bringing in a freshman doesn't necessarily mean stability. Advertisement As coaches prepare for summer workouts before the 2025-26 season and make plans to attend high school recruiting events, they recognize that their priorities might look different a year from now. Regulations from the House settlement could remove some of the challenges of the past few seasons. Still, coaches will have to navigate a landscape that once seemed unimaginable in college sports. However, one challenge remains the same: UConn and South Carolina are the hunted. 'The job is just different now,' one coach said. 'You just have to make up your mind if you want to deal with the other stuff.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. South Carolina Gamecocks, Connecticut Huskies, Sports Business, Women's College Basketball 2025 The Athletic Media Company

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store