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On the day he was introduced as the St. John’s basketball coach, Rick Pitino took note of his surroundings. His news conference had taken place at Madison Square Garden, and the Garden has always had a significant place in his heart.

Fifty-five years ago, he signed his scholarship papers to play basketball at the University of Massachusetts on the Garden’s floor, as he watched Marquette win the NIT. He coached Providence and Louisville teams there, in the Big East Tournament. He coached the Knicks for two years. Before his family moved out to Long Island, he grew up on East 26th Street, between Second and Third. The Garden has long been deep in his orbit. And vice versa.

“When you’re in this building, you can let your imagination go wherever it wants to go,” he said in a private moment. “You can hear the roar of a packed house. You can see and feel what a big game looks and feels like, just by walking in the door here. That’s what I want for these fans. I want to hear and feel it the way it always was.”

Six-hundred and ninety-eight days later, St. John’s stepped onto the Garden floor, and it was a daydream sprung to life. Every seat was occupied. Every St. John’s surge was met with deafening approval. And when the overhead clock finally struck 0:00, the Johnnies had reached a new summit in this splendid season of relentless revival.