Ahead of Tuesday’s game against DePaul, CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein spoke with Rick Pitino on his “Inside College Basketball Now” show to discuss multiple topics like his 900th win, St. John’s’ heavyweight matchup with UConn this Friday, and the Red Storm bouncing back from their disappointing start. However, Pitino and Rothstein also talked about how he would handle retaining players this offseason and what his future in coaching looks like.
During the episode, Rick Pitino stated that he expects Ruben Prey, Joson Sanon, and Dylan Darling to return for the 2026-27 season. However, Pitino believes Ian Jackson will declare for the NBA draft and pursue a professional career after this season.
“I think Ruben [Prey] is going to come back; he deserves to start here. Joson [Sanon] has a great future here. I think Ian [Jackson] has his head in other places and trying to make the pros, that was the intention and we wish him nothing but the best, he’s a terrific young man,” Pitino told Rothstein, “Certainly, Dylan Darling is going to come back, as well as a few other guys that may be in a reserve role.”
Back in 2023, when Rick Pitino took the St. John’s head coaching job, he agreed to a six-year contract that expired at the end of the 2028-29 season. As other Hall of Fame head coaches, such as Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, and Mike Krzyzewski, have retired in recent years, it’s fair to wonder how many more seasons the 73-year-old Pitino would coach.
When asked by Rothstein if he sees himself coaching beyond his first contract at St. John’s, Pitino said he would actually decide on his coaching future after this season.
“I went on record when I took the job that I’m going to give it three great years at St. John’s, see if we can turn the thing around, build it, and then after three years, make a decision on if the future has upward mobility.” Pitino answered, “I’m going to make my decision after this year to see if I can keep it going at this level with the intensity and the passion that I have. If I can, then it would be great. I would love to coach three to five more years if I could, but that’s in God’s hands right now, not mine.“
Pitino holds an overall record of 68-23 (.747) in three seasons at St. John’s, including a 48-10 mark (.827) over the last two seasons. Last year, the Hall of Fame head coach led the Red Storm to its first Big East tournament championship since 2000 and its first outright Big East regular season title since 1985.
The full interview can be watched below.
