Back in the spring, an unprecedented move was made by St. John’s Red Storm men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino.
He made a donation to the Kentucky Wildcats football team’s NIL fund. It was certainly interesting to see a coach from a different school donate to another school, but he has a great relationship with head coach Mark Stoops and special assistant to the head coach Eddie Grann. Ta.
At the time, it was unclear how much the legendary basketball coach had donated. However, in an interview with Matt Jones on the KSR Pregame Show, he revealed that it was no small change.
“I donated — well, I don’t want to say what I donated, but I donated a lot of money,” Pitino said, via On3’s Tyler Thompson. “I donated $15,000. Mark Stoops came over and was kind enough to come. Eddie Gran is a good friend of mine. They came over to play golf with me. We played against Wingfoot. We had a great time. Love Mark Stoops.”
Despite having a busy schedule in St. John’s, Pitino shocked everyone in attendance by appearing at Big Blue Madness with some of his old players.
It was a surprising substitution after being substituted during Red Storm practice. Initially, they were only planning to support the soccer team, but they were able to show their love for the basketball team as well.
“I was inches away from crying out of my eyes. It was very emotional for me because I was backstage with all the players and I was really happy to see them, going through a very difficult time. Even Todd Svoboda, who went through it, I met all of them afterwards, and it was very, very emotional for me, and it got even more emotional when I walked outside.
“I never thought I’d be giving a speech, and I obviously never thought I’d get that kind of praise. But it was one of the best nights of my life. So I was really impressed.”
Pitino was the head coach of the Kentucky men’s basketball team for eight seasons. Under his leadership, the team reached the NCAA Tournament in the final six seasons he was with the program, after two years of ineligibility.
One NCAA Championship and two Final Four appearances were also achieved.
His coaching career is extensive, having coached seven different programs in college basketball. He also found time to coach in the NBA, as he was the head coach of the Boston Celtics for four seasons before taking the job at Louisville after his stint at Kentucky.
