With a Wednesday night win over Butler, Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm clinched the Big East regular season title for the first time in 33 years. Pitino revived the program in just two seasons and became the first head coach in college basketball history to win the regular season conference championship at five different schools.
As an encore performance, the 72-year-old legend broke out his beloved white suit at Madison Square Garden on Saturday for the Johnnie’s matchup with Seton Hall. Naturally, college basketball fans and all of social media struggled to contain their excitement.
BREAKING AND IMPORTANT NEWS: RICK PITINO IS WEARING THE WHITE SUIT! pic.twitter.com/bSbSSvBhMm
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 1, 2025
Pitino broke out the classic white suit last season for St. John’s whiteout game and it drew some attention as the team was fighting to make the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. Now that St. John’s is the No. 7 team in the country and potentially in the mix for a No. 1 seed this March Madness, Pitino’s white suit has a little extra magic.
Rick Pitino. White suit. The Godfather. pic.twitter.com/s24h390oIL
— Cole Adams (@coleadamss) March 1, 2025
College Basketball is better when Rick Pitino wears the white suit
— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) March 1, 2025
Pitino had to purchase a new Armani white suit last season before the whiteout win over Creighton because, as he told college basketball reporter John Fanta, he couldn’t quite fit in the old one that he previously wore while he was the head coach at Louisville.
Until 2 o’clock yesterday, Rick Pitino was planning on wearing one of his traditional suits. But his wife Joanne kept pushing him for a white one. Here’s the story of how Pitino got a deal done with a tailor who was about to be off the clock: pic.twitter.com/iOoeKJnivu
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) February 25, 2024
While the suit may provide a little extra juice, St. John’s would have sold out the Garden on Saturday without it. The Johnnies are one of the best teams in the country and fans of the once proud program have fully bought in on this year’s team. St. John’s is undefeated in home games this season both at MSG and Carnesecca Arena.
Of course Rick Pitino brought out the white for today: pic.twitter.com/UIwOVV5fJc
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) March 1, 2025
Many thought Pitino would never come back to college basketball after his tenure at Louisville ended in scandal, but time heals all wounds and the man in the white suit is the biggest star in the sport.