NEW YORK — Rick Pitino promised a St. John’s return to prominence during his introduction Tuesday as men’s basketball coach, saying a turnaround will happen “in a big way” at a program beleaguered by mediocrity the past two decades.
“St. John’s is one of the legendary names in all of college basketball,” Pitino said during a press conference at Madison Square Garden. “Has it fallen on tough times? Yes it has. But now we’re ready to fall on great times. We’re ready to raise it up, raise this roof up, because St. John’s is going to be back. I guarantee that.”
The New York native, 70, is tasked with revamping a St. John’s team that has only qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times since 2002. He replaces Mike Anderson, whom St. John’s fired this month after four seasons without a tournament appearance.
