Rick Pitino knows what it takes to win a national championship. He did it twice, even though the NCAA only recognizes one of the two.
Now, at 71 years old, Pitino is essentially starting over at St. John’s.
He arrived back in Queens to take over a program that had not made it past the second round of March Madness since 1999.
In a previous era, an overnight turnaround would be impossible.With the transfer portal, an overnight turnaround is expected.
It would be a major letdown if Rick Pitino does not make the NCAA Tournament in his first season. The Red Storm added a plethora of talent through the portal, including the Ivy League Player of the Year, and retained its most important players.
They have the talent to win a lot of college basketball games. They have been well tested by strong early-season opponents and lost just twice to strong Michigan and Dayton teams.
Their schedule will also open up over the next few weeks before Big East play gets underway. The winning ways should continue.
Rick Pitino is focused on two things.
To Pitino, the key to success starts and ends with good defense and rebounding. Nothing else matters if St. John’s does not do those two things.
He joined John Fanta of Fox Sports on the first episode of ‘The Pitino Chronicles’ to discuss a road map for his team this season— and beyond.
In order to be “road tough,” you have to be defensively tough. It all starts with defensive rebounding. If you don’t have that, you’re not going to be a great road team.
— Rick Pitino
Pitino recalled a time when Louisville played Wichita State in the Final Four.
The Shockers were among the best defensive teams in the country and challenged the Cardinals to not only meet them on their level, but exceed them. They did and they won!So it all starts with defense and rebounding. If we’re not great at those two things, we can’t reach our potential.
— Rick Pitino
It’s that simple. In an era where everybody wants to shoot the three and throw down huge highlight dunks, Pitino is focused on the fundamentals. Play defense. Rebound. Win.
His full answer can be found here:
The post Rick Pitino Reveals The Two Keys To Success For St. John’s In Era Of Three-Pointer And Highlight Dunks appeared first on BroBible.