Excellence Demanded: Inside Rick Pitino’s Coaching Philosophy

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St. John’s University is a private Catholic school in Jamaica, Queens, New York. It was founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Fathers to provide the youth of New York with a Catholic education. Over the years, it became famous for its basketball program under legendary coach Lou Carnesecca. The team has reached the NCAA tournament 28 times, produced two John Wooden Award winners, 11 All-Americans, and six players inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Often, they play their home games at Madison Square Garden, one of the most iconic venues in America.

In recent years, however, the basketball program has struggled. Their last NCAA tournament victory occurred in 2000, and their last Sweet Sixteen appearance was in 1999. Since then, they have hired and fired seven coaches. Some had moderate success, while others did not, leaving everyone involved yearning for a return to the program’s glory days and national competitiveness.

Enter Rick Pitino.

Pitino, once at the pinnacle of college basketball, faced his own struggles after immense success at the University of Louisville. Falsely accused in an NCAA scandal, he was forced to resign and exiled from coaching. He took a job in Greece to stay connected to the game he loved. Once cleared by the NCAA, he returned to the U.S. to coach at Iona College, where he continued doing what he was born to do: coach basketball.

Pitino embodies the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, who once wrote:

"At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of if I’m going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?'

So you were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants, the spiders, and the bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands? You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you."

Pitino lives by this philosophy. He is a born leader, a basketball savant who pours every ounce of his soul into being the best coach he can be—and expects the same from his team. He was willing to stay at Iona, but when St. John’s came calling, he answered. At 72 years old, Pitino still loves to coach, teach, demand excellence, and push his players to reach their potential—both on and off the court.

The Vice Network provides an inside look at Pitino’s legendary 50-year coaching career. Many leadership enthusiasts argue that in today’s era of basketball, coaches can no longer be demanding or push players beyond their comfort zones. They believe coaching must be nurturing, soft, and gentle. Not Pitino. Winning is too important. He demands excellence—from his players and from himself. He coaches for greatness, where everything matters.

And guess what? The players love him for it. His players respect and appreciate his approach because it leads them to success—not just in basketball, but in life.

The inside look at Pitino offers the audience a glimpse into his relentless passion for coaching and his refusal to accept anything less than the best. He understands when to push players who are moving too slowly and when to slow them down when they are moving too fast.

Most importantly, the audience sees Pitino’s willingness to be confrontational—never afraid to call out anyone who fails to uphold the standard of excellence he has established throughout his illustrious career.

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