NEW YORK — Rick Pitino achieved yet another milestone on Monday night, this time at the expense of his son.
It was no easy feat; indeed, two of his toughest victories in recent weeks have come against his own blood—something that fills the Hall of Fame coach with immense pride.
Zuby Ejiofor contributed six of his 25 points during overtime, leading No. 17 St. John’s to a hard-fought 87-82 win over the determined Xavier at Madison Square Garden, marking their 10th straight victory. With this win, Pitino notched his 904th career victory, moving past Roy Williams for third place in Division I history, behind Mike Krzyzewski (1,202) and Jim Boeheim (1,116).
This marks Pitino’s second comeback win against his son, Richard, the first-year coach of the Musketeers, in just 17 days. Their first encounter saw the elder Pitino secure his 900th career win, as the Red Storm rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to claim an 88-83 victory at Xavier.
“I hope we don’t face them in the Big East tournament,” Rick Pitino remarked. “I think my son is brilliant. I’m incredibly proud of him. I dislike achieving any milestone against him—but tonight, I’m leaving knowing my son is an outstanding coach. … Acknowledging my son as a fantastic coach is far more gratifying to me than any tally of victories.”
Rick Pitino is now 5-1 in coaching matchups against Richard, whose only victory against his father occurred during the 2022-23 season when New Mexico defeated Iona at home.
In Division I matchups, fathers hold a 21-3 overall record.
“In both games against them, he’s completely outcoached me, and their staff has outperformed us. We struggled defensively, particularly with their offense. They exploited our defensive switches effectively,” said Rick Pitino, age 73.
“All credit goes to Richard, his team, and his players. They have outplayed us in both encounters, but we managed to gut out the victory in the final moments.”
Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and nine rebounds for St. John’s (19-5, 12-1 Big East), who have now won 15 of their last 17 games and are tied with No. 6 UConn at the top of the conference standings.
St. John’s came into the game fresh off a thrilling victory on Friday night at MSG against their long-time rivals, the Huskies.
“It’s easy for everyone to assume that after a big game, we weren’t prepared. We were definitely ready to play—but they were exceptional,” Rick Pitino noted. “Certain teams create matchup difficulties for us, and this team is one of them.”
Dylan Darling added 16 points off the bench for the Red Storm. Ejiofor also recorded seven rebounds and five assists, including a crucial pass to Oziyah Sellers for a breakaway dunk that sealed the game with just seven seconds left in overtime.
“It’s an amazing experience to play for the best college basketball coach of all time,” Darling expressed. “I’ve only contributed to 19 wins, so I won’t take too much credit, but I’m thrilled for him. If you see our practices, it’s clear why he’s achieved so many victories.”
St. John’s shot 28-for-41 (68%) from the free-throw line, their highest number of foul shots since taking 44 against Lehigh in November 2011. Three Xavier players fouled out in overtime following three consecutive defensive possessions.
because the Musketeers were only 9-of-17 at the line, Richard Pitino described it as “quite remarkable” that they even pushed the game to overtime, telling his players they should have secured the win.
“I hope we don’t play them in the Big East tournament. I think my son’s brilliant. I’m proud of him. I hate getting any milestone against him — but I go away tonight saying my son’s a hell of a coach. … To say my son’s a great coach is much more pleasing to me than any number of victories.”
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino
Xavier committed just nine turnovers over 45 minutes against a tenacious St. John’s defense.
“We had a real opportunity to claim victory. I’m proud of their effort. They’re amazing kids and truly believe in what we’re building,” Richard Pitino stated. “We’re striving to compete at the same level as UConn and St. John’s. But you can’t expect to win when the free-throw count is 28 to 9.”
Tre Carroll, the Big East’s leading scorer, posted 21 points and eight rebounds for the Musketeers (12-12, 4-9), marking their fifth loss in six games. He scored 11 consecutive points for Xavier in the second half, surpassing 1,000 career points.
Sellers managed to tip in his own miss with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, tying the game at 78, while Carroll’s wild 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed the mark.
“It might have seemed like we lacked energy at the start, but we didn’t take Xavier lightly. After all, they pushed us to the buzzer at their place,” Darling stated. “We struggled defensively against them.”
