Rick Pitino on His Future, Why UConn Isn’t a Rival, and the Big East’s Next Step

Jon Rothstein sits down with Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino to discuss St. John’s resurgence, the state of the Big East, and what matters most as March approaches. Pitino reflects on his earliest memories at Madison Square Garden, winning his 900th career game against his son, and how he views rivalries — including matchups with UConn — through the lens of building a championship-level program at St. John's Red Storm. The conversation also dives into roster retention, Big East scheduling philosophy, player development, and what St. John’s must improve before the NCAA Tournament. 0:00 Intro 0:10 First memory of Madison Square Garden 1:35 Win 900 vs. his son 3:00 Advice to Mark Pope 4:30 Retention priorities  5:35 Future at St. John's & coaching 7:25 Big East trends 9:00 Non-conference schedule 10:05 Current win streak 11:00 Early season losses 11:55 Dillon Mitchell back in starting lineup 12:35 Zuby Ejiofor 13:45 Depaul matchup 14:30 Matchup vs. UConn 15:00 Respect for UConn 16:25 This UConn team vs. title teams 16:50 UConn Rivalry 17:30 Biggest ways to improve before tournament