There’s another sign St. John’s basketball is for real.
The No. 10 team in the country is getting the documentary treatment. St. John’s is the focus of a six-part VICE series titled “Pitino: Red Storm Rising,” chronicling the resurgence of the program under head coach Rick Pitino.
The series offers an inside look at Pitino’s leadership, his candid opinions on his players and program, and commentary from New York sports notables, including former Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy and ex-WFAN host Mike Francesa of “Mike and the Mad Dog” fame.
Pitino Taking St. John’s to the Promised Land
Episode 1, “The Rebuild,” premiered last week. In it, Pitino states, “I’ve got to get St. John’s to the promised land, because St. John’s deserves it.”
The team has catapulted to the top of the Big East with a revamped starting five, thanks to the NIL-fueled transfer portal. Returning players RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor now start alongside key transfers, most notably Brooklyn-born Kadary Richmond from Seton Hall, who has been transformative.
Richmond’s scoring numbers are a mixed bag this season. He’s averaging 12.6 points per game — down from last season but on fewer attempts and greater efficiency. His field goal percentage has improved to just under 50%, and his assists remain steady at 5.1 per game.
His defensive presence is among the best in the country, averaging two steals and one blocked shot per game, all while rarely getting into foul trouble. However, Richmond’s three-point shooting remains a dismal 22%.
Pitino believes in Richmond’s potential, stating, “Once the jump shot matches the rest of his game, he’s maybe the premier guard in the nation.” But the clock is also ticking for this fifth-year senior, who will need to step up his shooting game to be in the mix in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Pitino Can Be Blunt
Pitino is known for his no-nonsense coaching style, and his blunt assessments continue at St. John’s.
For the first time in his career, he admits he views coaching as “a job.” He described his first year at St. John’s as “the most unenjoyable experience” he’s had in coaching and criticized last year’s roster as “non-athletic” and lacking “toughness.”
As for this season’s team, he doesn’t overhype their potential, stating he “doesn’t have any illusions of grandeur” about them.
He acknowledges they have “enough frailties to not make [the NCAA tournament] and enough talent to make it.” The Hall of Fame coach knows what he’s talking about — boasting over 700 career wins, a .700+ winning percentage, and two NCAA National Championships. (One of which had to be vacated.)
While Pitino can seem overbearing, if not brutal, there’s a method to it all. He wants to bring out toughness in his players. The documentary shows a scene from the Red Storm locker room in which Pitino tells his squad that making mistakes isn’t an issue — as long as they play hard.
And they do indeed play hard — like in their gritty defense-led comeback over Connecticut earlier this month. Pitino brought out the good old full-court press to shut the Huskies down.
That’s a style of basketball New Yorkers love. It harkens back to the Knicks of the 1990s.
The Bahamas Turning Point?
Ahead of the team’s trip to the Bahamas early in the season, Pitino dismissed their ranking as “undeserved” and “conjecture,” saying they would prove whether they were for real when facing elite teams like Baylor.
That game against Baylor was a turning point. After blowing a double-digit lead, St. John’s lost in double overtime after Ejiofor’s missed free throws were followed by a Baylor game-winning three that was actually released after the clock expired.
The episode then flashes back to what may be the worst loss of Pitino’s career — the “Christian Laettner shot” game against Duke in 1992.
It’s hard to be on the losing side of a highlight shown every March Madness. But Pitino notes that the loss led to a historic run for the Wildcats that included three Final Four berths over eight years and one national championship.
The 72-year-old Pitino may not stick around for much longer. But he’s already rekindled the city’s passion for the Red Storm — reminding New Yorkers of what the program was like in its heyday under the late Lou Carnesecca.
How to Watch “Pitino: Red Storm Rising”
“Pitino: Red Storm Rising” is a six-part series. Episode 1, “The Rebuild,” which premiered last week, is streaming now on the Vice website. Episode 2 airs tonight at 10 PM Eastern on Vice TV. New episodes will follow every Tuesday night into March Madness.
Vice TV, which can be accessed through Optimum TV, Verizon Fios, and streaming platforms like Hulu and Sling.
Upcoming St. John’s Basketball Games
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
St. John’s @ DePaul
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL, 8:00 PM Eastern
TV: FS1 | Tickets
Sunday, February 23, 2025
UConn vs. St. John’s
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, 12:00 PM Eastern
TV: FOX | Tickets
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
St. John’s @ Butler
Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN, 9:00 PM Eastern
TV: CBS Sports Network | Tickets
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Seton Hall vs. St. John’s
Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY, 2:15 PM Eastern
TV: CBS | Tickets
Saturday, March 8, 2025
St. John’s @ Marquette
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI, TBD
TV: FOX/FS1 | Tickets
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