For 73-year-old St. John's Coach Rick Pitino, 'age Is Just A Number'

Richard Pitino says he’s heard rumors his begetter would discontinue arsenic a hoops coach for nan past 15 years. Nobody would blasted him if he did.

His father, Rick Pitino, is 73 and still roaming nan sidelines for St. John’s astatine a clip erstwhile nan demands connected coaches are immense. Many of his peers and erstwhile rivals person agelong since retired, burned retired by nan task of recruiting and coaching while besides raising costs from boosters successful bid to build title-contending rosters.

The elder Pitino is portion of assemblage sports’ aged guard. Yet, successful a caller era, he’s thriving — and not slowing down anytime soon.

“How overmuch longer he goes, I don’t know,” Richard told NBC News. “But aft spending a week down location pinch him (at nan NCAA Tournament) successful San Diego, if he told maine he was 55, I’d opportunity he’s going to spell for different 20 years. He’s loving it.”

St. John's caput coach Rick Pitino talks to Ian Jackson during nan 2nd information crippled of nan 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Mitchell Layton/ / Getty Images

Pitino’s No. 5 seed Red Storm, caller disconnected a thrilling buzzer-beater win against Kansas past Sunday, will look No. 1 Duke connected Friday successful nan Sweet 16. It’s nan furthest St. John’s has gone successful nan postseason since 1999.

This isn’t caller for its coach, however. He’s now taken teams this acold successful five different decades, a feat only matched by chap Basketball Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim, some of whom retired successful caller years astatine Duke and Syracuse respectively.

Pitino past week said he’s not judge he’s fresh to subordinate them conscionable yet.

“I tin beryllium retired of coaching adjacent year. I’m 73,” he said successful a news conference. “I want to person nan top clip of my life. I want to coach this crippled for illustration it’s nan past crippled I’ll ever coach. … But I besides admit nan blessings I’ve been fixed by being allowed to coach this long.”

Richard Pitino is simply a coach, too. He's presently nan caput coach astatine Xavier. He said nan family has not urged his begetter to measurement down.

“For me, it’s really astir him being patient and happy. That’s really each I attraction about. And I do judge that coaching keeps him young,” Richard said of his father. “So for me, I spot a feline correct now who’s coaching astatine a precocious level. He’s sewage a awesome postulation of kids. He’s having a batch of fun. So that’s really each I attraction astir much than wins and losses.”

St. John's caput coach Rick Pitino, right, greets his son, erstwhile New Mexico caput coach Richard Pitino, earlier a assemblage hoops crippled astatine Madison Square Garden connected Nov. 17, 2024.Porter Binks / Getty Images

Winning does make things easier, though. The Red Storm are among nan hottest teams successful nan state pinch victories successful 22 of their past 23 matchups, acknowledgment mostly to a relentless defense. In past week’s triumph against Kansas, they forced 7 steals and scored 18 points disconnected turnovers. St. John’s besides kept Jayhawks prima freshman Darryn Peterson successful check, forcing nan imaginable No. 1 wide draught prime to sprout 33.3% from nan field.

St. John’s has been besides successful because Pitino has adapted disconnected nan court.

Since 2021, players person been capable to get paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL). It’s changed really coaches create a program, arsenic recruits and transfers typically spell wherever they tin make nan astir money — a awesome advantage for ample universities pinch large donors. And dissimilar successful anterior decades, location is nary punishment for transferring. Top talent tin time off aft each play for immoderate squad and instantly play.

But while immoderate of his counterparts person stepped down to debar rebuilding each twelvemonth and perpetually having to fundraise, Pitino has thrived successful it. His efforts person helped nan Red Storm compile a roster weighted astatine much than $10 million, according to reports.

Richard says that contempt each nan changes to nan crippled successful nan NIL era, “nothing has changed” for his father.

“Some group declare that coaches are frightened to coach because they’re frightened of kids transferring. He’s not moreover a small spot concerned astir that,” he said. "It conscionable comes down to getting nan guys amended and pushing them to levels that they’ve ne'er been pushed to before. If they want to leave, they want to leave. Every coach is evidently disappointment pinch building a caller roster each azygous year. But he’s been capable to build 2 really, really bully rosters nan past 2 years. He embraces it."

Pitino isn’t nan only seasoned sustaining occurrence precocious successful their careers. In this week’s Sweet 16, he’ll beryllium joined by 2 different coaches older than 70 successful Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.

Izzo, whose No. 3 seed Spartans look No. 2 UConn connected Friday, was asked this week really he stays “invigorated” while truthful galore of his erstwhile rivals person left.

“It’s a struggle for maine to beryllium invigorated,” he said. “I emotion my job, I said I mobility my profession. I do mobility it, and everybody should cognize I mobility it, because astatine nan extremity of nan time I’m still retired for what’s champion for nan student-athlete, and I don’t deliberation we’re doing that. But I’m excessively stubborn to quit, too. I’m excessively stubborn to quit, and I’ve sewage immoderate guys that person hung pinch me.”

Michigan State caput coach Tom Izzo talks pinch Jaxon Kohler during nan first half against UCLA successful nan quarterfinals of nan 2026 Big 10 Men's Basketball Tournament. Michael Reaves / Getty Images

Pitino is nan aforesaid way. He said nan game-winning layup against Kansas arsenic clip expired past week took him “down representation lane” to his first caput coaching occupation astatine Boston University successful 1978.

“I retrieve being truthful excited playing successful beforehand of 150 group successful Boston University and going to nan NCAA (Tournament). The gym was empty, but we were truthful excited. They carried maine disconnected nan tribunal connected their shoulders and location was cipher location to cheer but nan players,” he said aft nan win. “Obviously, from there, connected a way wherever each squad makes nan NCAA and has awesome success, this was nan last for maine — to get St. John’s to nan adjacent level.”

He’s now 2 wins distant from his sixth Final Four, a feat only 8 others person achieved. At his age, this could beryllium his past and champion chance to get there.

Richard said really overmuch his begetter has near successful assemblage hoops isn’t his family’s interest correct now.

“We don’t really care. That’s much media and instrumentality stuff,” he said. “Are we happy that he’s winning and doing great? Of people we are. But he’s earned nan correct to do immoderate he wants. He’s provided an astonishing life for us. He’s sewage an astonishing career. Whenever he’s asked maine astir it, I conscionable say, ‘Listen, either way, we’re good.’

“My biggest point to him is, if you’re enjoying it and you’re healthy, property is conscionable a number."