St. John's alum Mike Francesa predicts big things for Red Storm under Rick Pitino
Mike Francesa, a St. John's alumnus, at the Big East Tournament at MSG in 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Mike Francesa said he saw this red storm coming during long conversations with Rick Pitino at Saratoga Race Course last summer.
But on Tuesday night, he saw it arrive in full force, when the 15th-ranked St. John’s men’s basketball team routed Georgetown, 66-41, to complete a perfect (7-0) January.
Back-page headlines and widespread excitement ensued.
“I thought [Tuesday] night was the tipping point,” the former WFAN host, current podcast host and St. John’s alumnus told Newsday. “That performance got so much attention because of how good it was.”
It also generated anticipation among alumni and other fans because of what is ahead.
After it hosts Providence on Saturday, St. John’s will face two tests: a matchup against Marquette on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden and a visit to Connecticut on Friday.
“This town is about at the right time to embrace this team,” Francesa said, “and if they get to the Sweet 16, they will be the absolute darlings in New York City.
“This town will fall in love with them, and they will be a back-page, front-page story. They will be so big, bigger than they’ve been [in] forever. Bigger than they’ve been since the days of Chris Mullin. That’s how big they will be.
“You can sense it coming now. You can sense people starting to notice them, people starting to talk about them, and it’s going to just start to multiply the next week and heading toward the NCAA Tournament. The Big East [Tournament] is going to be a lot of fun, too, a lot of fun.”
Francesa said he has attended two games this season, one at Carnesecca Arena and one at the Garden. He recently was on campus to record an interview for a documentary on the Big East and stayed for practice.
“I tweeted when the season started: Get your tickets now for MSG, because this is going to be a real big year for St. John’s,” Francesa said. “I knew in the summer. Rick’s box at Saratoga is behind mine. And we talked a lot.”
Pitino has guided the Red Storm to an 18-3 overall record and a tie for first place in the Big East at 9-1.
“It’s a really good basketball team getting better,” Pitino said on Tuesday night. “I’m happiest not only for the players, because they’re the reason this is happening, but I’m happy for the St John’s fans. It’s been a long time for them and I see them so positive as I walk around the streets of New York.
“I see them so happy. They come on the road, we’re going to have 18,000 people for Providence [at the Garden on Saturday]. So I’m happy for them because it’s an identity they want to see. There’s no reason that St John’s can’t be a great basketball team.”
St. John’s had its share of struggles before Pitino took over last season. Now everything has changed.
“Hey, they‘ve been beaten down a long time,” Francesa said. “St John‘s was a lot like the Jets. They had gone through a really rough period. They couldn‘t get out of their own way. They have had very little success for a program that was used to success.
“I can sense a real resurgence, and I think you’re seeing that, especially in the games in the Garden,” Francesa said, “where you’re seeing the crowd not only start to grow each game, but just the enthusiasm for the team and the energy in the building is significantly improved.”
Francesa believes St. John’s NCAA chances will boil down to matchups.
“If they get the right team, they will kill 'em,” he said. “With their defensive prowess, the way they turn people over, with their energy and athleticism, if you don’t match up right, they will kill you. It won’t even be close.”
But he worries about an opponent that can slow St. John’s into a halfcourt game and force perimeter shots.
Is Francesa, 70, surprised that Pitino still has this level of energy at 72?
“Not in the least,” he said. “I knew Pitino had a lot of energy still, so it was not a question. I also have known forever that this guy is one of the great coaches of all time, whether you like him or don‘t like him.
“Obviously he, like all of us, has had his days that are not good. He‘s had some real whoppers in that regard. But historically, he has been great with teams in the second year.”
With Roger Rubin
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
