The largest factor standing between Rick Pitino and the 900th win of his Division I teaching profession is his son.
Pitino, who’s one win away from that spherical milestone, and St. John’s are set to face Xavier on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.
His 43-year-old son Richard Pitino is in his first yr as Xaver’s head coach.
“I think he will do everything humanly possible to stop it,” Rick Pitino mentioned.
Tuesday night time’s comeback win over Seton Corridor at Madison Sq. Backyard marked the 899th on-court victory of Pitino’s school profession, tying him with Bob Knight for fourth all time.
Pitino mentioned he was informed towards the start of the Pink Storm’s present five-game successful streak that victory No. 900 might come towards his son — so long as St. John’s stored successful.
And St. John’s stored successful.
“What’s the chances of that happening?” Pitino mentioned. “That you coach … 50 years, and your 900th game is against your son? I think that’s a big treat for me and the family. Either way, we know we’re gonna have a difficult game against them because of their style of play. He’s doing a fabulous job.”
Pitino is 899-316 over 38 school seasons, though the NCAA acknowledges solely 776 of Pitino’s victories as a result of Louisville had 123 wins from 2010-14 vacated amid scandal.
However when it comes to on-court wins, the one coaches with greater than Pitino are Mike Krzyzewski (1,202), Jim Boeheim (1,116) and Roy Williams (903).
St. John’s (14-5; 7-1 vs. Massive East) enters Saturday’s recreation in second place within the convention, whereas Xavier (11-8; 3-5 vs. Massive East) started Friday tied for sixth.
Saturday marks the fifth head-to-head assembly between the Pitinos, with the elder coach boasting a 3-1 report. That features final season’s St. John’s victory over New Mexico, then coached by Richard Pitino, on the Backyard.
Xavier employed the youthful Pitino in March after its earlier head coach, Sean Miller, left for Texas.
“It’s like any other game,” Richard Pitino mentioned. “I know there’s the storyline of my dad and this and that, but for me it’s a home game versus one of the best teams in the country. I’ve got to do my very best to not make it about that and make it solely on trying to put my guys in position to beat a really good team.”
The NCAA credit the late Knight with 902 victories as a result of three of his losses at Indiana have been later acknowledged as wins resulting from breaches by his opponents.
However when it comes to on-court victories, Pitino will cross Knight the following time St. John’s wins.
“I can’t spell Coach Knight. He’s one of the greats of all time,” Pitino mentioned. “I probably just coached a lot longer than him.”
