Over the 32 days leading up to college basketball season, we’re profiling 32 different teams who could be in the NIT mix, aided in this effort by those who know them best (or the closest we could get). Today, the Sickos CBB Committee’s East Coast Representative responds by direct message to our questions about St. John’s.
The Sickos are, well, Sickos. They embody what The Onion cartoonist Stan Kelly created in the recurring character which leers in through the window, cackling, “Yes… Ha Ha Ha… YES!” From the Ottawa Senators to MACtion, Sickos have a prime place in the sporting world. You can find the work of this specific college basketball sicko on Twitter/X at @SickosCBB.
Here’s the full list of 32 for 32’s published so far, with links:
- Auburn, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- BYU, with Mitch Harper
- Cincinnati, with Zach Fries
- Dayton, with Tyler Cronin
- Duquesne, with Tristan Freeman
- Indiana, with Matt Cox
- Iona, with Sam Federman
- Iowa State, with Joe Stunardi
- James Madison, with Bennett Conlin
- Loyola, with Ky McKeon
- Michigan, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Missouri, with Jim Root
- North Texas, with Harry Miers
- Northwestern, with John Templon
- Notre Dame, with Stuart McGrath
- Ohio State, with Mark Titus
- Oregon State, with Andy Dieckhoff
- Penn State, with DJ Bauer
- South Carolina, with Brian Rauf
- St. Bonaventure, with SBUnfurled
- St. John’s, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Syracuse, with the Marshall Street Podcast
- Texas, with NIT Stu
- Utah, with Andrew Crowley
- Virginia Tech, with Ken Pomeroy
- Washington State, with Dave Andersen
- Wisconsin, with Cole Amundson
The Barking Crow: St. John’s is, of course, the NIT GOAT, with more titles than any other program in the world. Multiple coaches, though, have now come and gone without an NIT appearance, let alone an NIT championship. What’s gone wrong for St. John’s, and how do we get the Red Storm back to the promised land?
The long drought for St. John’s has been a combination of bad coaching hires, changes in recruiting, and struggling to find their footing during the overexpansion, then death, then rebirth of America’s great basketball conference (yes, it’s the Big East: @JonRothstein if you disagree). Obviously, a splashy coaching hire was needed and that much has been done. But unlike Chris Mullin or Steve Lavin, Rick Pitino is a famous person that actually has an undeniable track record of great coaching; coaching only (his restaurant etiquette is questionable but we’re not here to talk about that).
TBC: Last season, it looked like St. John’s was on its NIT way, but their momentum was too strong and they ended up falling past our reach. With the program entering its Rick Pitino era, I’d imagine there’s a lot of transition happening. How similar or dissimilar to last year’s team is this year’s group?
Coach Pitino has already compared himself to Deion Sanders in terms of completely overhauling the roster (get off your Coach Sub Prime or Coach Past Prime jokes now). He correctly identified Joel Soriano, the 6-9 Center and hardest worker on the team as the one indispensable player and jettisoned nearly everyone else. Nine transfers come in including three of his players from last season’s Iona squad and 2023 Ivy League player of the year Jordan Dingle from Penn. What the end result will be is hard to say but it will be different and exciting.
TBC: Rick Pitino has never won an NIT, which makes his decision to join the most successful college basketball program of all time highly interesting. Is Rick Pitino trying to ride St. John’s coattails?
Rick Pitino has always craved the spotlight and the chance to finally coach in New York (not counting experience in the post-grad basketball league some call the NBA) had to motivate him. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere says me (I wrote that don’t fact check me).
TBC: Pitino the Elder (sorry, but his son has won an NIT) has talked a lot about reinserting St. John’s basketball into the New York City sports scene, pushing to fill up Madison Square Garden for Big East games, the way every religion’s god intended. What’s the highest St. John’s men’s basketball could rank within the New York City sports consciousness? Is there a universe in which they could pass the Mets?
New York will always be a pro sports town but there is room for St. John’s to gain exposure and attention. As a young CBB sicko, I remember the days when St. John’s basketball was routinely on the back page of the tabloids (newspapers that is, kids ask your grandparents). It is possible to make Joe Straphanger know that you exist (in the months of February and March).
TBC: The NIT and MSG have either broken up or are on a break. How much does St. John’s blame itself for this development?
I don’t know if the first goal for St. John’s is to bring the NIT back to the glory days…but it SHOULD be. Also going to Vegas for the semifinals and finals might be a nice change. No UConn fans there (we hope).
TBC: You are, of course, a Sicko. What’s the most Sicko thing about this year’s St. John’s team?
The most sicko thing about this team is probably the wide range of possible outcomes. They have already lost an exhibition game to Division II Pace. Soriano and Dingle didn’t play in the game but it does give a sense of what this team will be. All Pitino teams play great defense but the shooting from game-to-game will be an adventure.
TBC: Dare we dream of a St. John’s NIT title?
Anything is possible! (again I coined that phrase, don’t fact check me).
