The MVP of this season for St. John may not be Rick Pitino or his player.
It may be the man who hired him, President Brian Shanley.
Without him, Pitino would never have considered school.
Pastor Brian J. Shanley was held at Carnecca Arena on November 4th, 2024. Getty Images
“The reputation he had in Providence. The Hall of Fame coach said after Johnny won the program's first Big East regular season championship with a 71-61 victory over his local rival Seton Hall, the Hall of Fame coach said. “And I thought St. John's had to change completely. You need a great leader at the top. … There's no doubt. If he wasn't president, I would never have been taken away from his job.”
When it became clear to Shanley, it was time for St. Johns to move on from Mike Anderson two years ago, so he initially wanted a young, promising coach he had found in Providence along with Ed Cooley.
But no one had the northeastern roots he saw with such a promise.
However, nearby Iona University had a legendary coach. So he shifted his attention to Pitino, whom he brought back to Providence in 2013.
Even Shanley could not imagine such a quick turnaround. It was hard to imagine Pitino leading St. John's to the top 10 national rankings and the Big East Crown in the second season.
“Rick is a basketball court genius,” Shanley said. “I'm so happy with the team. I'm pleased with the fans. It was forever because we had the kind of success we did this year. People are like, now, when you wear St. John's stuff, it's like, 'Go to Johnny.'
“This is the answer to my prayers. This is what I wanted when we hired Rick. We wanted to go back where we are and compete for the national championship. This is just the beginning of my book.”
There's something more to come. St. John's is the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament and the third seed expected in the NCAA Tournament.
But already, this has been a memorable year no matter what happens from here. It all started with Shanley and Pitino.
“This is a red-faced story, and where else can Rick Pitino do what he is doing, except in the garden here, St. John's?” Shanley said. “I couldn't script this. It's like Hollywood in my book. For me, Rick and St. John's were meant to be together.”
