Report: St. John's makes Rick Pitino 2nd-highest-paid coach in Big East

Field Level Media|published: Sun 29th March, 21:32 2026

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen-East Regional-St. Johns at Duke

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Rick Pitino, who has coached St. John's to two consecutive Big East regular-season and conference tournament titles, as well as the Sweet 16 this weekend, has a new contract, the school confirmed Sunday.

ESPN reported that Pitino, who signed a six-year deal in 2023, has an additional year through the 2029-30 season and a pay increase to make him the Big East's second-highest-paid coach after UConn's Dan Hurley.

Pitino, 73, has an 81-25 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances with St. John's, including the run to the East Region semifinal Friday, when the Red Storm fell to Duke 80-75. It was their second Sweet 16 game since 1999.

"We're thrilled that Coach Pitino has signed a new agreement to remain at St. John's, a deal that will keep him in Queens through the end of the decade," athletic director Ed Kull said in a statement. "This extension reflects our strong confidence in his leadership, vision and commitment to our student-athletes.

"Coach Pitino has changed the culture of our community, and we want his presence to be felt on this campus for years to come. We look forward to more Big East championships and NCAA tournament runs with Coach Pitino at the helm."

The Red Storm finished 30-7, were ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation and became the first Big East program to win regular-season and tournament crowns in consecutive seasons. They beat Northern Iowa and Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.

"I'd like to stay in as long as I can," Pitino said Thursday ahead of the game against Duke. "As long as God willing is giving me good health, I'd like to stay in it as long as I can."

Pitino's overall record as a head coach is 915-318 (.742), with stops at Hawaii (1975-76), Boston University (1978-83), Providence (1985-87), Kentucky (1989-97), Louisville (2001-17), Iona (2020-22) and St. John's.

He guided teams to 12 regular-season conference titles, 16 conference tournament crowns and the 1996 Kentucky and 2013 Louisville squads to NCAA championships.

Pitino also was head coach of the NBA's New York Knicks (1987-89) and Boston Celtics (1997-2001), compiling a 192-220 mark (.466).

--Field Level Media

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