Rick Pitino is officially introduced as St. John’s head coach

Rick Pitino is officially back in college basketball and is promising sweeping changes after his appointment at St. John’s. 

‘A lot of players probably won’t be back on this team, because they’re probably not a good fit for me,’ Pitino said Tuesday. 

‘It’ll be a square peg in a round hole. It won’t work.’ 

Back to The Garden, where he once coached the Knicks. Back to the Big East, the conference that launched his stardom and where he won his last NCAA championship. Back to big-time college basketball after a series of scandals made it seem as if that part of his career was over. 

‘I deserve it,’ Pitino said, ‘because I’ve earned it,’ he said at his introductory news conference at MSG.

Rick Pitino (C) was introduced as St. John’s new men’s basketball coach at MSG on Tuesday

Rick Pitino left Providence College – a Big East rival of St. John’s – to coach the Knicks in 1987 

‘I deserve it,’ Pitino said, ‘because I’ve earned it,’ he said at his introductory news conference

‘When I went to Iona, I said that Iona was going to be my last job.

‘And the reason I said that is who’s going to hire a 70-year-old ? No matter how much I think I’m Peter Pan, who’s going hire a 70-year-old?’

St. John’s gave the Hall of Famer a six-year contract to turn back the clock on a program that once stole New York City tabloid headlines away from the Knicks in the 1980s under coach Lou Carnesecca but has been mired in mediocrity for more than two decades.

The Red Storm once played most of their biggest home games at The Garden. Pitino said the goal is to have all their Big East games played there going forward.

‘Lou built a legendary program. Legendary,’ Pitino said. ‘I’m all in with everything that St. John stands for. I’m excited about it. I can’t wait to get started.

‘And it’s going to start with a culture of work.’

Pitino, who was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, has won 832 games in 34 full seasons as a college head coach, including NCAA championships at Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013.

The title at Louisville was vacated for NCAA violations, and another NCAA case related to the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting led to Pitino being fired by Louisville in 2017.

Former St. John’s head coach Lou Carnesecca spoke glowingly about the new appointment

The final ruling from the NCAA’s outside enforcement arm on the FBI case came down in November and exonerated Pitino.

There was also a criminal extortion case in which Pitino was the victim during his time at Louisville that revealed personal indiscretions.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter what you believe, what you don’t believe,’ Pitino said. ‘The one thing all my players have said, because they all wrote letters for me: I’ve never cheated the game. I never gave a player anything that he didn’t deserve in life.’

St. John’s president, the Rev. Brian Shanley, said the decision to hire Pitino was his call.

‘Yeah, sure, there’s some reputational risk because of things that have happened before, but I think Rick is at a point in his life where he’s learned from things that have happened in the past,’ Shanley told The Associated Press. 

‘I think he’d be the first one to tell you he’s done things that he regrets. Who doesn’t when you get to be that age? I know I have. I’m a believer in forgiveness and new beginnings as a priest, and I think Rick’s going to do a great job for St. John’s.’

Carnesecca, 98 and getting around with the help of a walker these days, sat in the front row of Pitino’s news conference.

‘I think it’s a home run with the bases loaded,’ Carnesecca said.

Pitino won a NCAA national championship at Louisville in 2013 before it was later vacated