Let the good times roll in Queens.
Just forty-eight hours since the Red Storm’s season ended against Duke, Rick Pitino has reportedly agreed to a new contract extension with St. John’s that keeps him with the team through the end of the 2029-30 season and makes him the second-highest-paid head coach in the Big East, behind Dan Hurley.
According to the New York Post, Pitino will make $6 million per year in the new deal. The agreement also includes more compensation for Pitino’s coaching staff.
Hired
back in 2023, Pitino orchestrated a dramatic turnaround that has now placed the once lifeless St. John’s basketball program back on the map. Under the Hall of Famer’s watch, the Red Storm hold an overall record of 81-25 (.764), won 20 or more games each season, and became the first team in Big East history to win the outright regular season and tournament titles in back-to-back seasons. In 2025, the Johnnies won their first NCAA Tournament game in a quarter-century. This season, they reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999.
Pitino will be challenged to uphold the standard he set this upcoming season. Among the departures from this year’s St. John’s team are program cornerstone Zuby Ejiofor, as well as fellow All-Big East forwards Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell. While it’s going to be difficult to replace those key members of this year’s successful campaign, mega-donor alum Mike Repole pledged to back the 73-year-old head coach and the program for a fourth season, ensuring the Red Storm can build another title-contending roster that can go deep into March again.
