Rick Pitino, head coach of the St. John’s Red Storm, expressed his frustration over press conference protocols that require the losing team to wait for the winners. He believes the celebrations take a mental toll on his players and that going second in front of the media makes little sense. The Duke Blue Devils, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, are riding a 14-game winning streak after defeating St. John’s 80-75 in the Sweet 16 on Friday evening.
St. John’s built one of the strongest defensive teams in the Big East, winning its second straight Big East Tournament crown and finishing the year with an 18-2 record in conference play. The team aimed to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, defeating 12th-seeded Northern Iowa 79-53 in the Round of 64 and toppling fourth-seeded Kansas 67-65 in the following round.
Rick Pitino Argues Losing Teams Should Speak First at Press Conferences
However, things did not look up for the Red Storm in the Sweet 16 at Capital One Arena, as Caleb Foster helped the Blue Devils recover from a 10-point deficit in the second half. It was a monumental win for Foster, who returned to the court just 20 days after undergoing surgery for a broken foot.
Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown’s efforts also paid off, even though freshman guard Cayden Boozer struggled at times against the Red Storm’s pressure. The Red Storm head coach shared that his team had to wait for 30 minutes to speak to the media. Calling out the NCAA press conference protocols, he said:
“One suggestion for the NCAA is when you have interviews on the court for Duke, for the winning team, and they have time there, the game started before we even came in here, is to have the losing team go first. Because you left us disappointed in the locker room while the other team is celebrating, rightfully so. You should let the losing team go first and then let the winning team have as long as you want. Just a suggestion. Because you just left us hanging out there for over a half hour.”
Pitino has always been a vocal coach, now in his third season leading the Red Storm. Before senior night on March 3 at Madison Square Garden, he sent a clear message for fans to appear early for the pregame ceremony to bid goodbye to the seniors playing their last game at home before tipping off against Georgetown. He wrote:
“Please be in your seats by 6:30 tomorrow night for the pregame senior ceremony!”
He paired the post with a throwback tweet of when he welcomed Zuby Ejiofor after his one-year stint with the Kansas Jayhawks. Ejiofor, the Big East Player of the Year, averaged 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in a season that ended at the Sweet 16.
