Rick Pitino Rumors: St. John's Plans to Finalize Contract With Iona HC in Coming Days

St. John's is looking to hire Rick Pitino "in the coming days" after his Iona Gaels lost in the first round of the 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament, according to Fox Sports' John Fanta.

The 70-year-old has posted a 64-22 record in three seasons at Iona, and the program punched a ticket to the Big Dance on two occasions.

In the immediate aftermath of the Gaels' 87-63 loss to UConn, Pitino was broadly noncommittal about his future on the sidelines.

"I really don't have an answer to it, to be honest with you," he told reporters. "I have no idea if it is or isn't because I've focused everything on this game."

Louisville fired Pitino in October 2017 amid the wider fallout from the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.

Over time, any criticism toward notable figures implicated in the scandal has dissipated, though. The dawn of the NIL era has effectively minimized many of the revelations stemming from the overarching story, and the investigation itself has since come under scrutiny.

Whereas Pitino might have been too toxic for St. John's a few years ago, there shouldn't be much trouble in bringing him aboard now.

An opportunity to coach the Red Storm might be tough to turn down. Moving to the Big East would be a step up, and the New York City native would get to return home.

For St. John's, hiring the Hall of Famer would send a clear message.

Pitino is about as sure a thing as you can get at the college level. His 834 wins are ninth all time in Division I history, and he has guided three different schools (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville) to the Final Four.

For fans of a certain age, the Red Storm retain a certain cachet. They were a tournament mainstay under Lou Carnesecca, and they had some epic battles in the heyday of the Big East.

But this is a program that hasn't reached the Final Four since 1985. The Red Storm's last win of any kind in the NCAA tournament was all the way back in 2000.

Given his age, Pitino wouldn't be a long-term solution. However, he might be able to deliver the kind of immediate success that allows St. John's to return to relevancy and remain there when he's gone.

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