Rick Pitino's coaching history: From Hawaii to St. John's
Rick Pitino is introduced as the new head coach ay St. John’s during a press conference at Madison Square Garden on March 21. Credit: Noah K. Murray
The Rick Pitino Era at St. John's kicks off in less than a month with the Red Storm's season opener, and the buzz is swirling around a team that has made the NCAA Tournament just twice in the last 10 years.
Based on nearly 50 years of history, those tournament -- and title -- hopes have legs.
Pitino, 71, has been in the coaching ranks since 1974 and got his first taste as a head coach in 1976. Since then, the Long Island native has amassed 834 NCAA wins, 192 NBA wins, 14 conference championships, 23 NCAA Tournament berths, seven Final Four appearances and two national championships. (Caveat: 123 of those wins, including his 2013 national championship and 2012 Final Four, were later vacated.) Nearly every stop along the way has resulted in some form of success.
Here's a look at Pitino's past coaching jobs, from his start as an assistant in Hawaii to eventual stints in the NBA to his championship runs at blue-blood colleges.
Nick Klopsis is Newsday.com's sports editor. He often can be found studying NFL and college football film for his latest draft breakdown.
