The MVP of this St. John’s season may not be Rick Pitino or any of his players.
It could be the man who hired him, president Father Brian Shanley.
Without him in place, Pitino would have never considered the school.
Rev. Brian J. Shanley, at Carnesecca Arena on Nov. 4, 2024. Getty Images
“Just the reputation he had at Providence. All the Providence people put him on a pedestal, and he was revered,” the Hall of Fame coach said after the seventh-ranked Johnnies clinched the program’s first outright Big East regular-season championship with a 71-61 victory over local rival Seton Hall. “And I thought St. John’s had to totally change, and you need a great leader at the top. … No doubt in my mind, I would never, ever have taken the job if he wasn’t the president.”
When it became clear to Shanley it was time for St. John’s to move on from Mike Anderson two years ago, he initially wanted a young, up-and-coming coach like he found at Providence with Ed Cooley.
But there was nobody with northeast roots that he saw with that kind of promise.
There, however, was a legendary coach at nearby Iona University. So, he shifted his attention to Pitino, who he nearly brought back to Providence in 2013.
Not even Shanley could’ve envisioned such a quick turnaround, with Pitino leading St. John’s to a top-10 national ranking and Big East crown in his second season.
“Rick is a genius on the basketball court,” Shanley said. “I’m so happy for the team, I’m happy for our fans. It’s been forever since we’ve had the kind of success we’ve had this year. People now, when you wear St. John’s stuff, it’s like, ‘Go Johnnies.’
“This is an answer to a prayer. This is what I hoped when we hired Rick, that we would get back where we are right now, contending for a national championship. This is just the beginning in my book.”
There is more to come. St. John’s will be the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament and is a projected No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But already, this has been a memorable year, no matter what happens from here on out. It all started with Shanley and Pitino.
“This is a redemption story, and where else could Rick Pitino do what he’s doing except here at the Garden, at St. John’s?” Shanley said. “You couldn’t have scripted this. It’s like Hollywood in my book. For me, Rick and St. John’s were meant to be together.”