Pitino’s Done It Again! Enjoy Him While Ya Can…

The feeling of spring is in the air in the Big Apple.

The random 70 degree days, the escape of the 2026 winter from hell and the brimming excitement of whats to come over the next few weeks.

The sports calendar has most certainly taken a turn for the better and it goes into high gear this week with the WBC and Conference Tournaments taking center stage.

The Big East Tournament in 2026 does not have a deep star studded field of teams this particular year.

There are two you are dying to see. Dan Hurley’s UCONN Huskies and yes Rick Pitino’s St Johns Red Storm.

Pitino’s coaching master touch was on full display from start to finish this regular season.

The Johnnies struggled through much of the non conference season.

They struggled to find their identity early, fast forward to January and February and boom! A totally different team.

Rick Pitino’s teams historically have had a knack for getting better and better as the season goes along.

This 25/26 Johnnies team has done exactly that.

They put together a ten plus game win streak in Conference and won the Big East regular season crown for the second straight season. 

The Pitino promise of returning St John’s back to place of relevance and pride has delivered in a big way.

Make no mistake, we have a lot of big stars in the sports world walking around town.

Rick Pitino is one of them. Hes everywhere.

Pitino’s final act has allowed him to embrace being Mr. New York.

You see him at Yankee games in the front row. Or perhaps its court-side watching the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. 

I love how much Pitino has enjoyed being a part of the fabric of our city.

What do you love even more? A deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

He wont be here forever, not to say that 2026 is the swan song.

However, the hourglass is ticking. 

The horses and the golf course ultimately awaits one of the greatest coaches of all time.

We are lucky to have him in town. Enjoy him while you can.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York every Sunday & Thursday on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly at 11 PM on Honda Sports Nite on SNY.