'They're unathletic' 😳 - Rick Pitino details 'unenjoyable experience' at St. John's | SportsCenter

'They're unathletic' 😳 - Rick Pitino details 'unenjoyable experience' at St. John's | SportsCenter
St. John's head coach Rick Pitino explains why the season has been an "unenjoyable experience."
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[@MrAitraining]

With Rick's career resume he can say these things and his team probably knows he's right

[@twocents1999]

He’s like the basketball Al Pacino

[@WillThomas-hs3oj]

@wukongrobotics7983 lol ur a clown that's not pitinos team.... pitino says it like it is and is an elite college coach for a reason...

[@WillThomas-hs3oj]

@wukongrobotics7983 I've met him several times and know ppl who were close with him, and he's easily one of the best basketball minds in the game, the dude knew exactly what It would take to beat every team on the schedule, and he would write it on the board pre game, and he was lit spot on 99.9999% of the time

[@WillThomas-hs3oj]

@wukongrobotics7983 I witnessed it while he was at lville... he could get more out his players then almost any coach in the history of college basketball...

[@kentuckyking4343]

​@wukongrobotics7983shut ur face pansy 😂

[@andrewwiggins7374]

Yes they do. That's exactly the plot of the movie, Scent of a Woman. You fail.@wukongrobotics7983

[@Jricks1992]

Yo he shredded them...

[@mybossisdrunk]

News made it sound much worse. Thats just an honest assessment of his team. These guys are all getting paid, they can handle it.

[@joem5002]

pitino is getting paid and cant win a game with kids HE recruited 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@wsteele5864]

Sounds right to me.

[@majestic631]

The players don't get paid.

[@younggabriel]

That locker room gonna be fun

[@RobbieStacks90]

What does he care? These aren't even his guys. He wants to bring in mentally tough four and five star recruits from the tri-state area who can play his signature press defense. Once he gets his players, the Red Storm will be a top Big East team.

[@RobbieStacks90]

What does he care? These aren't even his guys. He wants to bring in mentally tough four and five star recruits from the tri-state area who can play his signature press defense.

[@booyabig3265]

​@@RobbieStacks90What are you talking about? He recruited these guys.

[@booyabig3265]

​@@RobbieStacks90He even sat right there and said WE recruited these guys. Guys I thought could play my style of ball.

[@Scheboygan8767]

He’s genuinely right, the players are weak and soft. Both mentally and physically, he doesn’t care about these player or their feelings if they leave. They’re losers at heart, no winning traits. He’s going to recruit and bring in a whole new team as he should.

[@ChadHargis]

Pitino speaking the truth. Sometimes players need to hear the truth versus having smoke blown up their backsides.

[@1971Corwin]

what are they supposed to do with "they're not athletic"?

[@I_EatCheeks]

Didn’t he recruit them?

[@joem5002]

its pitino's fault ! why would he recruit "unathletic" kids?

[@Guido-ww1jy]

Ok, first, no, he didn't recruit them, at last most of them were there as it's his first year. However hearing him publicly bad moth his team like that will turn off other recruits.

[@joeszulborski-zg5sg]

When u blow a 12 point lead at half its the coaches fault. One guy made adjustment the other was making calls for strippers for his recruits.

[@Waawaa1]

He cooked his team. Fired that azz up

[@Holla412]

Ayo He kept it extremely real😂😂😂

[@SportsFan838]

The best part about it is. He started laughing a little at the beginning😂.

[@dches6045]

We still love u at da ville

[@muddywaters2818]

Respect, this guy knows he’s very old and doesn’t have much longer to coach so he’s gunna tell it as it is. He’s gunna ask every player after the year to hit the transfer portal.

[@eyeamslugga]

Come back to Louisville. Lord knows the Cards need it. 🙏🏾

[@jamestreviss]

As much as they need it he would never ever come back to Louisville

[@jeffcrayton9596]

Yeah he's married screwing school staff yeah sure Louisville will bring him back he's a class act lol 😂

[@eyeamslugga]

@@jamestreviss I already know. The program did him bad.

[@digitallhm8160]

Absolutely not

[@mikesmith5799]

Pitino wouldnt step foot in that city let alone coach there again. They were incredibly lucky he ever took the job to begin with. But there might be a glimmer of hope for louisville, maybe Kentucky will fire Calipari soon and you all can do what you always do and go after a former Kentucky coach! 😂

[@WillThomas-hs3oj]

Come.back to louisville

[@brob8204]

That's the move. He may be too old, though.

[@wireroom7939]

No... he won for us/ then BS happen and we have a 7 yr suffer bc of it !! Louisville needs better

[@andyodvor2927]

@@wireroom7939 He was the only reason yall were relevant lol

[@wireroom7939]

@@andyodvor2927 well that was the truth😎🍺..

[@mikesmith5799]

Wait till Calipari gets fired and do what you all always do and try to to hire another former Kentucky coach! 😂

[@eliworldwide]

He should just put them through conditioning drills like its little league 😂😂😂

[@RobbieStacks90]

I had St. John's -6 on Streak Survivor, and I grew up as a Seton Hall and Duke fan as a kid. I'm glad the Pirates won, and this was vintage Pitino. He said what everybody's been thinking about this St. John's team. 😂 So disappointing when you consider the kind of player that Ledlem was at Harvard Pitino's going to need a loaded class of McDonald's All Americans who are committed to staying in college if he wants to get SJU to the Final Four. The best St. John's team in my lifetime was the one that Jarvis nearly got to the Final Four in '98 or '99. That was the last time St. John's was a legitimate top 10 team.

[@frankoee6755]

@Zenigundam ‘Tell me about it’ I miss those days as a kid! St. John’s has had some decent teams here-and-there especially with Lavin, but this is truly awful.

[@RobbieStacks90]

@@frankoee6755 Lavin has always been a mediocre coach to me. For all the talent he had at UCLA, and even St. John's, considering where SJU was about ten years, his teams were always dysfunctional and underachieving. It'll be night and day between him and Pitino. Once Pitino gets his players in, you know the Red Storm are going to be a force in the Big East because it's going to forty minutes of full court pressing with athletic players, transition offense, and disciplined offensive sets. Right now, he's stuck with the turnover prone, low IQ players that SJU has had to settle for over the past few decades. If he gets the players, he'll have St. John's on the map in two or three years.

[@jpandlexiwilliams1838]

Stop gambling, people like you are the reason the industry is so profitable.

[@RobbieStacks90]

@@jpandlexiwilliams1838I couldn't bet on the game because it involved a team from NJ, and I'm up $5k so far this year, so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

[@frankoee6755]

@Zenigundam I agree Lavin was a mediocre BBall Coach throughout his career. I was just referring to St. John’s lackluster seasons through, the years after Mike Jarvis.

[@therev6689]

This is hilarious 😂

[@athunderfan]

I love Rick Pitino, one of my basketball idols. But I completely disagree with this. To attack your players in the media like this is completely unacceptable. This is how you lose a locker room. You defend your players to the public and tear them a new one in private, thats how it works.

[@gkniffen]

If Rick is saying it publicly, you can rest assured he's been saying it privately for months .. 😂

[@typ760]

PLEASE COME BACK TO 502

[@gregorya.champion3784]

As always, the red storm starts good in the non conference schedule until late December thru March, the conference games.

[@richardaltacho7814]

You can't complain about having "unathletic" players when you were the one recruiting them

[@BradenINSANE]

This is his first year. These aren't his players.

[@themerriman56]

​@@BradenINSANE He actually let go of good remaining players from previous coach and recruited these same young men he is trashing as unathletic.

[@kelvinmack7104]

He sounds like disgruntled parent that's upset with his offspring

[@juanthompson8016]

​@@kelvinmack7104you sound like someone who sugar coats and babies people 😂😂

[@Reese13]

Didn't he know that when he recruited them? Don't blame the food, blame the cook😏.

[@kosmisfit1301]

It's his first year I think so he was inherited this team it's not fully his team that he's built

[@dempsirayyoung1199]

Spot on reply. Rick needs to read the room. He doesn't have the horses to pull his wagon.

[@PellyjellyMom]

He may find with the Portal that his brightest and best walk away. Portal and NIL make it easier and more lucrative to just move on to a program that meets your strengths. I think he gave what should have been a closed door speech in public.

[@Donnydrako]

He was so fast to leave Iona College. St. John’s even went as far as to buy a billboard right before the Iona exit saying “Welcome Coach Pitino!” this is hilarious to see 😂

[@Scheboygan8767]

This is his first year with players he didn’t want and they’re above .500

[@jimmyrustled2493]

@@Scheboygan87676-9 in the big east

[@Gnog22]

He was with Iona for 3 years and took them to the tourney twice. Wasn’t like was there one minute and then left over night

[@DearLordItsLookinAtMePutItAway]

This is what coaches need to do. I love Pitino. Hopefully this fires his team up.

[@simsimmarrp1893]

When your not athletic.. your iq has to be extra accurate.. hands up on defense... boxing out before the shot drop.. solid pick and role... understanding spacing... he just showed you the difference between smart basketball and athletic basketball

[@trevorhandberry2158]

Bro…this is the type of coaching and REALITY CHECKS people need. You may not LIKE it but he is correct about HIS players.

[@coachbilly6058]

Words of wisdom from Slick Rick!

[@gmoney2.059]

Can’t knock the Truth and he spoke it ‼️‼️‼️

[@figgsxyon3392]

COACH P is a GREAT COACH 💪💯🪖!!! If you love the game YOU GOTTA LISTEN TO THIS GENIUS BRA!!! GOOD LUCK COACH 💯!

[@nastassiaalcius1010]

Says a lot about him than it does his players! You are YOUR team's advocate. You don't just throw them under the bus because your "image" no longer carries the weight it once did...

[@markushall8863]

Look like Rick knows what he’s doing

[@user-rp3gf5hz6h]

Come back to the ville

[@sstewart03]

What is wrong with honesty?

[@davidshepherd5536]

Yep .........but for those of us that get stuck with a bad team.........enjoy and do your job !

[@TyroneSettles]

I see nothing wrong with his comments. You have to want to play defense is what he is saying and his team in his eyes and on the little bit of tape I saw, were going through the motions.

[@OingoBoingo-eg2cw]

You are on Long Island. It is not a basketball mecca. Which way to the beach?

[@jasoneaton9477]

Well..i guess he inherited that team

[@Jmurda1983]

Do those kids know how lucky they are to play thier home games at MSG? I’d give %110 every time I step out on that court

[@snapon29]

You put this team together Rick. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Same nonsense like what we had to hear from Mick Cronin

[@andredefrancesco7111]

They better read Ricks book.. success is choice

[@GoogleUser-yv7fe]

Unacceptable Rick. He broke the number one cardinal rule in coaching. Do not publicly throw your own team under the bus! He knows better than that, and he stepped up to thew plate and apologized which is very admirable but expected.

[@locker-roomdwarf3549]

GOD BLESS

[@RSRANR]

You're the one who elected to come there Rick.

[@EastAggReppa817]

I wish Penny would do this ! 😂😂

[@johns.7501]

Rick, you put the team together. Man up. Knew facilities on campus are lousy when signed up for 20 mil a year.

[@faywhite7886]

he did not, but in 2 years with players he recruited it will be a different story.

[@chad3452]

yeah i was with rick 😂 i was pissed cuz i had $50 on st johns and didnt cash out when i had a chance... st johns smokes too much pot they cant play a 2nd half 😂 ...good thing for me i hit on damian lillard winning MVP of the all star game

[@Blackdog4818]

Looks like Mike Woodson isn't the only one who's stuck with lousy players who aren't panning out.

[@CJReed-pw8re]

If a better opportunity comes calling he will bolt as his past will show. However, not sure another will come calling!

[@39Aces]

It's coming to the end for Ricky P...

[@jimmyrustled2493]

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Pitino has always been scummy

[@wolley2012]

No bounce passes. Thats the first drill in middle school.

[@randolphdefreese7874]

Didn't he put the team together?

[@Beamin-vt7jm]

He shouldn’t have mentioned names

[@ifeellikepablo5000]

It would be cool if the anchor knew how to pronounce the names of the players.

[@lisafoster8634]

COME BACK TO LOUISVILLE RICK‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@JerichoMile4]

Coach Rick Pitino and Coach Larry Brown are great coaches !!!!

[@IdkHowToFollowAnyone]

If I'm The A.D Of St John's.....I'm Immediately Firing Rick Pitino.....He's Even Lucky To Be Even Coaching ...Let Alone In New York....Embarrassing

[@stephenmauriellomortgage]

Gen Z cream puffs just figured out what it’s like to be coached and motivated. Rick Pitino will flush that entire roster this off season.

[@EndoftheTownProductions]

1:16 -- Remember Coach Pitino...Chris Mullin, Bill Wennington, Willie Glass, Walter Berry, and Mark Jackson aren't walking through that door. And, if they do, they will be old.

[@king.kentucky1320]

How about ricky P!!

[@87alock]

Sounds like he wants a few of his players wacked

[@BrentTnerb2217]

Rick is one of the biggest sleeze ball in sports.

[@BC___]

Ayooooooooooo 😂😂😂😂

[@anthonyyusef5897]

Rick is the orchestrator of this roster. Look in the mirror Slick Rick first.

[@larrybeans26]

They didn't just become unathletic. He saying they are lazy, without saying it. They've won games and had leads. They aren't closing out games

[@Ghosty18866]

Pitino NIT Bound

[@yummyteeth7021]

Not a chance

[@mikesmith5799]

He said it years ago, he never should of left Kentucky! The guy had that job and left for the fortune the Celtics threw at him. But after he left it was literally one bad choice after another!

[@philb.1502]

He won a national championship at Louisville after he left Kentucky and the Celtics! You need a history lesson!!

[@mikesmith5799]

@@philb.1502 It shows louisville last title as 1986. I'm pretty sure they only have two, I think you might have fell and bumped you're head. And I don't know if you're joking or have been living in a cave but I doubt Rick pitino proudly tells anyone he was the coach of louisville! 😂

[@philb.1502]

@@mikesmith5799 Pitino won a national championship at Louisville in 2013. I was at the game. Google it for your reference! You have Google, don't you??

[@philb.1502]

@@mikesmith5799 2013 Pitino coached Louisville to the national championship!! Google it.

[@philb.1502]

@@mikesmith5799 Google it.

[@DanielJonesToChina]

St. John’s is poverty 🤣🤣 love you Ricky

[@martinward3084]

Hey Simion Wilcher. Not looking like you made this best call. After seeing u play I doubt unc would take you back

[@Impertinent1]

Is this supposed to motivate them to a championship?

[@sincereseas4874]

Nap time Rick.

[@deseansmith3391]

I get it man but your lineup and use of minutes is very questionable

[@deseansmith3391]

Like very very bad

[@brandonweatherly6764]

I wonder if Rick Patino is still knocking down women in Resturant bathrooms.

[@briantaylor3388]

Pay better…they’ll play better

[@saffegis]

Truth hurts I guess 🤷🏽

[@SportsFan838]

I don't see what's wrong with this tbh.

[@victorabreu0825]

Rick patino kinda dropped the ball alil on this one. He let 5 really good players leave last year's roster. Storr on the badgers Alexander on butler david jones on memphis eating. How about Wasu on seton hall? I will admit tho since this press conference the team has played better lol

[@mikebelnap3079]

Rick pitino should not be coaching college basketball

[@dgracia72]

Fire him; is Van Macon time. Van Macon, Van Macon, Van Macon, Van Macon

[@richardpoplis6777]

Rick Pintino needs to retire his days are long gone.. he can't find players play for money under the table..

[@jaywardlaw]

Were they unathletic when you were 12-4? Were you not enjoying yourself when you were 12-4? Were they hearing but not listening when you were 12-4? I'll hang up and listen....

[@bigman52100]

That's what happens when you go from unethically recruiting players back at Louisville, to coaching at a smaller school 🤷‍♂️

[@KingSebastian10]

Oh they ran all week cuz of this 😭

[@lazyhusband]

At least his players didn’t get plastic surgery

[@tonyray7546]

Talk about losing your team

[@michaeljmobley]

Crying about athleticism is cheap, especially when you brought a team like Providence to the Final 4. You're better than this, Rick.

[@SaintFrost11]

LMAAOOOOOOOO

[@MadSUPANOVA]

TOO FUNNY😅😅 Coach frustrated. Hahaha. 2 months to teach a bounce pass... hahaha.

[@user-vu7hg1sq4y]

COACHING BLACK PLAYERS, IS LIKE COACHING MEAN TEENAGE GIRLS, FIGHTING FOR ATTENTION

[@KingCarolina_]

Least he’s honest.

[@dirtfacesr791]

I'm from KY I'm a big fan I don't care what he said I been watching them and they can't pull out a win they aren't athletic bit if he gets some recruits it's over. This team has 2 ok players the rest are trash

[@jeffgutterson881]

Rick P & St Johns Has to finish 1 game over 500 to make the NIT MAYBE ? That's All Folks

[@mooseydeucy]

Maybe today's "kids" have no concept of that program's legacy. Make them watch film of when they won the national championship. Or the Chris Mullen, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, Bill Wennington era!

[@ItsDJNuName]

Yeah he’ll probably be gone after the season. He’s lost the locker room with those statements.

[@RobbieStacks90]

No he won't be. He's the face of the program. Also, it's not out of the realm of possibility that St. John's could win the Big East Tournament. On paper, they were barely underdogs to UConn, and I believe they were favored in their home games against Marquette and Creighton if memory serves me correctly. Georgetown did it a few years ago. This was a good speech because it could light a fire under his team and spark a similar run. If he loses the locker room, it doesn't matter because he'll be bringing in his players next year.

[@ricknelms]

He doesn't lose locker rooms maybe some of the players will be gone.

[@jordanmccann1082]

Their not beating upon bro stop it lmao, if they played upon right now while being home uconn would be at least -14.5 point favorites and -1100 to win the game@@RobbieStacks90

[@brob8204]

No it didn't. He's staying in character. Rick Pitino doesn't lose. That's his mantra. They know that.

[@Scheboygan8767]

He’s absolutely right, his team is mentally weak and soft and physically not tough. Watching those guys play is incredibly frustrating, just a lack of heart

[@garymacmillan]

He has let himself off the hook. They're slow and they"re dumb.

[@ProjectDystopia]

I like how he keeps it real, though. Translation: I've inherited a bunch of bums, but hey ~~that's my lot until I can recruit better players.

[@romanwright2087]

He brought literally all of those “bums” …. The only guy he inherited is Soriano who is an all big-east caliber guy. He brought his dudes with him and is now complaining that they arent good enough😂

[@ProjectDystopia]

@@romanwright2087 Thanks for the info, I appreciate it....

[@clutch.mastervi2658]

just cause they where good at iona does not mean they would be good St johns which is a bigger stage for sure. coach found out who they really were quick

[@bgilmore62]

Pitino is a whiner. Man up and coach 'em up.

[@jacklichtenstein19]

Not something I wanna hear from my favorite team

[@philb.1502]

Pitino is a punk for throwing his team under the bus! Why call out a player's name and say he's slow? Unacceptable! They should all hit the transfer portal after the season. Pitino was a terrible hire!

[@MacyRoberts24]

First comment! Big fan ESPN!