Iona's Rick Pitino Reportedly Eyed by St. John's, Texas Tech for Head Coach Openings

In light of their recent head coaching vacancies, St. John's and Texas Tech are vetting Iona's Rick Pitino to head up their programs, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.

St. John's parted ways with coach Mike Anderson Friday after four seasons with the team while Mark Adams stepped down as coach of the Red Raiders after he was suspended for making racially insensitive comments.

Pitino, 70, was hired by Iona in March 2020, and he's led the Gaels to two regular-season MAAC championships and an NCAA tournament appearance.

Rothstein said St. John's began looking into Pitino as a potential head coaching candidate a few weeks ago and has made the former national champion its primary target.

While Texas Tech has had more success over the last decade, St. John's would give Pitino the chance to make a return to the Big East, the conference where he first made a name for himself as the coach at Providence from 1985-87.

In the 1986-87 season he led the Friars to a 25-9 record and an appearance in the Final Four, just the program's second-ever appearance.

St. John's was decent under Anderson but the program never reached the heights once expected of the Big East giants. He lost at least 15 games in three of his four seasons with the Red Storm.

After leading Texas Tech to a 27-10 record and an appearance in the Sweet 16 last season—his first as head coach—Adams didn't find the same success in 2022-23. He went just 16-15 before his suspension.