Rick Pitino's Future With St. John's Decided Days After Duke Loss: Report
The St. John's Red Storm are still just days removed from a hard-fought 80–75 loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. After three seasons as St. John's head coach, Rick Pitino has seemingly already made a final decision on his future with the program at age 73.
Pitino's contract currently runs through the 2028–29 season. However, given his age and the high-profile openings outside of New York - including North Carolina - there had been speculation about what his future might hold after rebuilding the Johnnies' program from the ground up.
Yet, according to St. John's billionaire alum and donor Mike Repole, Pitino's "new deal," which has been rumored for several days, is "done," whether or not it has been officially signed
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Repole made it clear that he is all-in on St. John's basketball and will do "whatever is needed" to help sustain a program capable of competing for national championships. Retaining Rick Pitino with a contract that would make him the second-highest paid coach in the Big East - behind Dan Hurley - is a step in that direction.
"My commitment is whatever is needed," Repole said. "We don't want this to be a one- or two-year thing. We want to build a dynasty here for the next five to 10 years."
Pitino's deal, which has been negotiated by his agent Evan Daniels, would raise his pay over the next three seasons to roughly $7 million, according to Adam Zagoria of NJ Advanced Media.
St. John's is entering a major offseason, with significant roster turnover expected. The program is likely to be very active in the transfer portal, which opens on April 7 for a two-week period.
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This story was originally published March 29, 2026 at 1:45 PM.