Rick Pitino, the coach of St. John’s basketball team, is emphasizing accountability and harsh truths after the team's recent performances. Pitino expressed that the players are 'embarrassed' by their defense and need to avoid too many losses in the upcoming month. This approach marks a departure from the usual coach-speak. Quinn Slazinski, a player under Pitino at Iona, has clarified that he holds no animosity towards Pitino and is eager to face him when St. John’s visits West Virginia. Pitino's return to the Big East and his coaching style are garnering attention, with a focus on accountability and a departure from his past controversies.
From @MerrillLiz -- Rick Pitino's road to St. John's paved with forgiveness: Some great anecdotes in here on the St. John's search -- Mike Tranghese: "We need to just talk about Rick and forget about everybody else." -- and his time at Iona and in Greece. https://t.co/apjLM8ew7t
As @MerrillLiz points out, it's not as though Rick Pitino has emerged from purgatory but he has been resurrected, leaving the sordid details of strippers and bribery behind for a next act on the big stage. https://t.co/4xnPoCv1fH
Quinn Slazinski wants to set the record straight. He wasn’t pushed out by Rick Pitino. He doesn’t hold any animosity towards the St. John’s coach. But, he is eager to face him when the Johnnies visit West Virginia Friday night. https://t.co/BgAyAYJYVQ #sjubb
NEW: How Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino made his way out of basketball purgatory and back home to New York, to the Big East and the big time - via @MerrillLiz https://t.co/M2BEKCmGv2
Quinn Slazinski, who played for Rick Pitino at Iona, thriving in West Virginia https://t.co/ZZQuARhMhi https://t.co/8ZdaGNZ4YJ
Quinn Slazinski, who played for Rick Pitino at Iona, thriving in West Virginia https://t.co/qDtscCbKZu https://t.co/5rsXXvOjSb
Quinn Slazinski: “The greatest thing Pitino taught me was pressure is the greatest gift an athlete can have. The fire I’m going to play with tomorrow is my competitive edge. It’s not a you-did-me-wrong kind of thing, because that just wasn’t the case and it’s not true.” #sjubb
Accountability. Hard truths. Even harsh criticism. That's the new St. John's normal under Rick Pitino. COLUMN: https://t.co/6zrICmOn2v #sjubb
On a Zoom call, Quinn Slazinski says he has no grudge against Rick Pitino or animosity towards him. Says Pitino did what was best for St. John's and Slazinski says he did what was best for himself. #sjubb
COLUMN: I was expecting positivity. Optimism. The usual coach-speak that comes after a few strong performances. Rick Pitino, I’m quickly learning, doesn’t abide by that coaching manual. On a new era of harsh truths and accountability: #sjubb https://t.co/6zrICmOn2v
Rick Pitino bringing accountability to St. John’s with brutally honest take after two wins https://t.co/K8itUIB18x https://t.co/g9JKMreaSV
My take: Rick Pitino doesn't want his players thinking too highly of themselves after a few solid performances, because it seems to me they're trending in the right direction. Would've thought they were coming off a blowout loss by tone of today's presser. #sjubb
Pitino said his players are "embarrassed" by their defense so far, know they should be better. "What we have to do is not take too many L's while we're going through next month." Pitino printed out def. stats, how it compared to the rest of the Big East, and showed them to #sjubb