Latest news with #Pitino
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Rick Pitino Doesn't Hold Back About Thunder After NBA Finals Berth
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Oklahoma City Thunder are waiting to find out who they will play in the NBA Finals. After blowing out the Minnesota Timberwolves by a final score of 124-94 on Wednesday night, the Thunder have punched their ticket to the championship round. Right now, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks stands at 3-2 in favor of the Pacers. However, the Knicks were able to keep the series alive with a blowout win over Indiana on Thursday evening. Regardless of who wins the East, Oklahoma City has to be feeling good about the position it is in. Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm signals to his players in the second half during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on January 28,... Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm signals to his players in the second half during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on January 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. More Photo byFollowing their NBA Finals berth, St. John's head coach and college basketball legend Rick Pitino has spoken out strongly about the Thunder. He is even using them as film for his team, which is a first in his career. Read more: Tyrese Haliburton Sends Bold Warning Before Pacers-Knicks Game 6 In a post on X, Pitino did not hold back from praising Oklahoma City, especially on the defensive end of the court. "It's interesting, in my 40+ years I've never shown clips to my teams of NBA defense," Pitino wrote. "Offensive sets and individual moves, but never defense. Until this past season. We watched the Thunder at least 3x a week. They're switching, loading up to help, and rotations are awesome. And they are still so young!!!" All season long, the Thunder have been dominant defensively. That defense has led to an elite offense as well. Throw in the fact that star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA's MVP award and Oklahoma City has the makings of a championship winner. They simply need to win four more games. Read more: Shocking Contender Named as Landing Spot for Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo During their series against the Timberwolves, the Thunder made Minnesota look lost. They made things very difficult on Anthony Edwards, with the star shooting guard averaging just 23 points per game and shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 28.2 percent from three-point range. With the NBA Finals set to begin on June 5, Oklahoma City is receiving much-deserved recognition. Pitino's praise is just one of many big names to talk about how special the Thunder have been and how dominant they have been playing. Both the Pacers and New York are quality teams, but if Oklahoma City keeps playing the way it has, neither team can match up. For more Oklahoma City Thunder and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alabama Announces Blockbuster Matchup Against Legendary Coach
The Alabama Crimson Tide are looking to build off a disappointing end to their 2024-25 college basketball campaign as they got overwhelmed in the Elite Eight against the Duke Blue Devils. Losing sharpshooters Mark Sears and Labaron Philon are pieces that need to be filled, and can expect head coach Nate Oats shape his roster to make another deep run next year. Advertisement They have announced a blockbuster matchup that is going to be scheduled for the 2026-27 season. At Madison Square Garden on November 8, Oats and the Crimson Tide will be taking on the St. John's Red Storm, led by legendary head coach Rick Pitino. St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Penner-Imagn Images Pitino most recently shared Coach of the Year honors with Auburn Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, and has turned around St. John's to be one of college basketball's top schools. The Red Storm had their magical run end early at the hands of John Calipari's ferocious Arkansas team, who eventually fell to Texas Tech in the Sweet 16. In the 26-27 season, Pitino and Oats will battle in one of the nation's top venues at MSG. Advertisement Oats and Pitino have faced off just twice with each coach winning a game. Oats started off 1-0 after his No. 2 seed Tide defeated Pitino's No. 15 seed Iona Gaels in the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament. Pitino got his revenge during an invitational that following November thanks to some magic from Walter Clayton Jr. off the bench, who later transferred to Florida and won a national championship. The meeting in 2026 will be the third meeting, and with two top programs in St. John's and Alabama, will make for an intense meeting that will prepare both teams for a title run later in the year. Related: Former Alabama Four-Star Transfers to SEC Rival
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rick Pitino, St. John's Receive Head-Turning 2025-26 Prediction
The St. John's Red Storm and head coach Rick Pitino made waves during the 2024-25 college basketball season. Looking ahead to the future, St. John's appears to be a team to watch as a potential national championship contender. Last season, Pitino led the Red Storm to an impressive 31-5 record. He took them on a run to the NCAA Tournament. Advertisement As a No. 2 seed in the tournament, St. John's started off with a first round win over Omaha. Following the big win, Pitino and company came up short against John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks. That loss ended their season. Looking ahead to the 2025-26 college basketball season, the Red Storm are receiving a lot of hype. A new ranking has been released that shows the hype clearly. In a column on FanDuel, Jon Rothstein reveled his early rankings. He has Pitino's team coming in at No. 3 on the list. Pitino did have some key losses throughout the offseason. RJ Luis was the biggest loss, while other players left as well. Those other players are Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith, Aaron Scott, and Simeon Wilcher. Advertisement To replace the talent that left the program, St. John's brought in players as well. Joson Sanon, Bryce Hopkins, Oziyah Sellers, Ian Jackson, Dillon Mitchell, Imran Suljanovic, Dylan Darling, Handje Tamba, and Kelvin Odih have all joined the team and will look to take the Red Storm to the next level. St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick PitinoEric Canha-Imagn Images With Pitino leading the way, St. John's will always have a chance. He is a living legend in the college basketball world. Throughout his career leading up to this point, Pitino has compiled a 761-308 record. Despite going through some major issues off the court, Pitino has landed on his feet and is building something very special. Related: Rick Pitino's Son Makes Head-Turning Admission About Father's Legendary Coaching Career Related: NBA Exec Turns Heads With Major Prediction for Duke's Kon Knueppel
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rick Pitino's Son Makes Head-Turning Admission About Father's Legendary Coaching Career
Rick Pitino and the St. John's Red Storm put together an impressive all-around 2024-25 college basketball season. However, it did not end how they had hoped. Throughout the course of the year, St. John's compiled a 31-5 record. In the NCAA Tournament, they earned a No. 2 seed and knocked off Omaha in the first round by a final score of 83-53. Advertisement After that win, a matchup with John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks awaited, which the Red Storm lost 75-66. That loss ended the St. John's season. Despite the loss, Pitino has the Red Storm on the right track. He is one of the best head coaches of all-time and will give St. John's a chance to win at a high level as long as he's in town. St. John's Red Storm head basketball coach Rick Pitino.© Brad Penner-Imagn Images Recently, Richard Pitino, the son of the coaching legend, spoke out about his father. He opened up about the success that Pitino has had throughout his career and the coaching tree that he has created. 'He puts the effort into molding us,' Richard said. 'Some coaches just hire assistant coaches and say, 'Hey, get me players. You're not a coach, you're a recruiter.' My dad is not that way. Anybody that works for my dad and his program, you are gonna be driven to succeed just as much as the best player. He's gonna be invested in you as a future leader.' Among coaches who have come from Pitino's coaching tree are Billy Donovan, Tubby Smith, Mick Cronin, and Kevin Keatts. Advertisement To this point in his career, Pitino has amassed a 761-308 record. That is good enough for a 71.2% win rate. During the upcoming 2025-26 college basketball season, the two Pitino's will likely face each other. St. John's and Xavier are both in the Big East. Richard Pitino became the head coach of the Musketeers this offseason. Related: Duke's Kon Knueppel Receives Major Prediction Before NBA Draft Related: Dan Hurley's Latest Recruiting Move Has UConn Fans Buzzing
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Legendary Coach Rick Pitino Sends Message to NBA Star Amid Playoffs
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in a world of trouble after losing the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals at home to the Indiana Pacers. But in Game 3 on Friday, they finally looked like themselves again. With all of their main rotation players available, they outscored Indiana 34-13 in the second quarter and never looked back. Their 126-104 victory put them back in the series, making Game 4 big for both teams. Advertisement Donovan Mitchell led the way with 43 points, and Rick Pitino, his old college coach, went on his X account to express his admiration for the six-time All-Star guard. "I'm so blown away with how good @spidadmitchell is," Pitino wrote. "So proud of him." Mitchell spent two years at Louisville back when Pitino was its head coach. In his second season there, he averaged 15.6 points a game. He was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, who instantly traded him to the Utah Jazz, but he quickly proved he should've been taken earlier. He started to make his name as a big-name performer during the playoffs, especially in 2020, when he scored over 40 points three times and at least 50 points twice in seven playoff contests. Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Adams-Imagn Images Since getting traded to Cleveland in 2022, Mitchell has helped make Cleveland into a legitimate Eastern Conference power. He scored 48 points in Game 2 on Tuesday when the Cavs blew a late lead and lost on Tyrese Haliburton's last-second 3-pointer, and he has the ability to help the Cavs come back and take this series despite how it started for them. Related: Shaquille O'Neal's Strong Opinion of Tyrese Haliburton After Pacers Game
