St. John’s used a second half surge and held on to beat Xavier, 88-83, on Saturday, Jan. 24 to get Pitino his 900th career win. With the victory, Pitino is now fourth place among Division I men’s basketball coaches for all-time wins.
After the Red Storm pulled off the road victory, Pitino was mobbed by his players, who donned shirts to mark the occasion. He didn’t want to take the credit for the elite achievement.
‘Players get coaches wins, and nothing sweeter than getting 900 because of these guys,’ he said on the broadcast.
When asked how he was able to get win No. 900, Pitino praised his family, adding he is still enjoying the job at 73 years old.
‘I’ve got a great family, great wife, who have kept me young,’ he said. ‘They allow me to work with these guys 12-13 hours a day, and I’m just enjoying it more than ever. Great group, great group to coach.’
Speaking of family, it played a part in the game. An interesting storyline was the achievement came thanks to Pitino beating his son Richard, who is the coach at Xavier. Pitino said he doesn’t like to be victorious over his son, and praised his work with the Musketeers.
‘I don’t like beating him, obviously, but it’s beating Xavier,’ Pitino said. ‘Richard did a phenomenal job. … I can’t love him or be more proud of him.’
The win moved St. John’s to 15-5 on the season. It now has won six in a row to start Big East play at 8-1.