Rick Pitino gets well-earned contract extension, raise with St. John’s

Rick Pitino has put St. John’s basketball back on the map. Now the two sides are renewing their commitment to one another.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday, Pitino has agreed to a reworked contract with the university that includes an additional year (through 2029-30) and a raise that will make him the second-highest paid coach in the Big East.

Basketball Rick Pitino gets well-earned raise with St. John’s

St. John’s decision to hire Pitino has been one of the most significant coaching hires in recent college basketball history and has paid off with immediate results. He has won at least 20 games in each of his first three years with the program, while also taking it to consecutive NCAA tournaments. 

But even that is underselling what he has done so far.

St. John’s has won consecutive Big East regular-season championships and consecutive Big East tournament championships, and has reached its first Sweet 16 since the 1998-99 season.

In the 25 years prior to Pitino’s hiring, St. John’s had just six NCAA tournament appearances, won just six tournament games, never reached the top-five nationally and had zero regular season conference championships and won just a single conference tournament.

In Pitino’s first three years, he already has all of the aforementioned conference championships, three NCAA tournament wins and has been in the top-five in each of the past two seasons. 

Given Pitino’s connections to New York City, and how much of a basketball city it is, this has always seemed like a perfect match. So far, it has delivered. Now Pitino is being rewarded for it.