"There's so much history with St. John's, and we brought it all back in three years. From Lapchick's first season in 1956-57 through Carnesecca's last in 1991-92, the Red Storm made the NCAA tournament 21 times, won three National Invitation Tournaments and had at least 20 victories in a season on 22 occasions. But save for a brief stretch in the late 1990s, St. John's struggled in the 30 years post-Carnesecca until Pitino arrived in 2023."
"With Saturday's dominant win, St. John's became the first program in league history to win the outright conference regular season and postseason titles in consecutive years. In 1986, Berry was the national player of the year, while Jackson led the nation in assists and the Red Storm tied for first in the Big East regular season and then won the tournament title."
St. John's defeated UConn 72-52 in the Big East championship game, with coach Rick Pitino leading the Red Storm to their second consecutive conference title. This achievement marks a remarkable turnaround for a program that dominated the Eastern region during the 1960s-1980s under coaches Joe Lapchick and Lou Carnesecca but struggled for three decades afterward. Pitino's arrival in 2023 has revitalized St. John's, restoring the program to national prominence and recapturing New York City's basketball attention. The victory represents the first time any Big East program has won both the regular season and postseason titles in consecutive years, cementing the Red Storm's return as a basketball powerhouse.
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