Rick Pitino, known for his intensity over his 50-plus years of coaching, delivered a candid response after his No. 12 St. John’s Red Storm edged the No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles 70-64 in a Big East clash on FS1 Tuesday. St. John’s trailed 31-30 at halftime and initially built a lead in the second half, but Marquette eventually pulled ahead. The game remained close, partly due to St. John’s free throw shooting; the Red Storm converted only 17 of 31 attempts (54.8%) compared to the Golden Eagles’ 12 of 18 (66.7%). After the game, FS1 analyst Bill Raftery asked Pitino about the free throw struggles during an on-court interview, and Pitino’s response was memorable:
“Inside, I want to kill myself. Outside, I say ‘That’s okay, we’ll make the next one.’” Rick Pitino had quite the response to Bill Raftery’s question on his team’s issues shooting free throws. pic.twitter.com/npnww0j3XP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 5, 2025
When Raftery asked, “How do you control yourself? I know the free throws…you just ignore it and keep plugging?” Pitino replied, “Yeah, inside, I want to kill myself. Outside, I just say ‘That’s okay, we’ll make the next one.’” He laughed, bringing Raftery to chuckle as well before they continued the interview. This candidness aligns with Pitino’s history of speaking his mind, as seen in past situations.
This season, Pitino and the Red Storm have garnered significant attention with a strong record (20-3, 11-1 in Big East play) and a nine-game winning streak. Upcoming challenges include a high-profile match against the UConn Huskies on Friday (7 p.m. on the Fox broadcast network) and a feature in the upcoming Vice TV docuseries Pitino: Red Storm Rising, set to premiere next Tuesday, just a day after a similar series on John Calipari and Arkansas.
With the spotlight firmly on Pitino and the Red Storm, viewers can anticipate more fascinating interviews and soundbites in the future—a situation Pitino hasn’t always embraced.
