As the St. John’s faithful dream of a first Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament in over 25 years, this could be Rick Pitino’s swansong in college basketball.

The 73-year-old is the only head coach to win the NCAA Tournament with two different college programs, although the Louisville title was vacated later on. And after close to 50 years of coaching college basketball teams, Rick Pitino is thinking about calling it a career, mentioning that this could be his last year coaching.

Ahead of St. John’s NCAA Tournament opener against the Northern Iowa Panthers, Pitino reflected on his career and what lies ahead as this year marks his 25th appearance in the National Tournament.

Pitino said, “I could be out of coaching next year. I really can be. I am 73, and I wanna have the greatest time of my life. I want to coach this game like it’s the last game I’m ever going to coach. If we’re good enough to win, it’s going to be here. Then, if it’s next year, I am going to coach next year like it’s the last year I’m going to be on Earth. That’s the way I coach.”

Pitino’s impact was immediate, transforming a program that hadn’t won a conference title in 25 years into back-to-back Big East champions. His 79-24 record over three seasons has culminated in a five-seed for this year’s NCAA Tournament, a testament to the rapid turnaround.

Pitino currently has a six-year deal with St. John’s, but has previously stated that he will make a career decision after the current year, after assessing how he has fared during his first three years and whether he can continue to help the college program improve and take the next step.

A win over Northern Iowa will set up a matchup with Bill Self’s Kansas, featuring top NBA Draft prospect Darryn Peterson. The Eastern bracket is stacked, and a potential matchup with UConn would require another victory and another victory to set up an Elite Eight encounter with heavy favorites Duke, who recently became the first one-seed to trail a 16-seed by double digits at halftime.

Rick Pitino has done wonders at St. John’s already, and while the 73-year-old has hinted at retirement plans during this year, the fans and the college program would prefer he finishes his six-year deal and establishes the St. John’s Red Storm as a powerhouse.

Rick Pitino addresses the ‘off-base’ media narrative around St. John’s NCAA seeding

As the Selection Committee revealed the seedings and brackets for the NCAA Tournament, the team’s seeding became an instant talking point. The Red Storm were given a five-seed in the Eastern bracket despite winning the Big East regular season and the tournament phase.

Meanwhile, St. John’s defeated the UConn Huskies this year in the Big East, and the Huskies earned a two-seed in the same bracket.

However, Rick Pitino was quick to dismiss speculation that this would spur the St. John’s team on to perform even better and be hungrier. The 73-year-old dismissed the idea that a lower seed or increased travel would serve as extra motivation, emphasizing that his team’s drive comes from within.

Talking to the media ahead of the Northern Iowa matchup, Pitino said, “You guys are so off base with that comment… how you can say the things that you say that we’re going to play harder because we’re a 5-seed. We know we have to play so hard to beat Northern Iowa, and because we’re a 5-seed in San Diego overlooking the ocean, we’re not gonna play any harder than any game this season.”

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The St. John’s Red Storm have failed to reach the Sweet 16 for over 25 years, and the fans would prefer easier matchups and less travel before they do. However, each game in the NCAA Tournament is a knockout, making it the most important game of the year, regardless of the surrounding factors and narratives.

Hopefully, Rick Pitino can lead St. John’s to the promised land of the Sweet 16 and maybe beyond before he decides on his future.