Rick Pitino vividly recalls the emotional reception he received at Rupp Arena in 2001. Once celebrated as the mastermind behind the University of Kentucky’s 1996 national championship victory, Pitino faced a chorus of boos upon returning, this time as the head coach of their fierce rival, Louisville.
“It really hurt,” Pitino reflected on Thursday, reminiscing about his tenure at Kentucky from 1989 to 1997. “But I will say, today, I realize why.”
Over the years, Pitino’s relationship with Kentucky fans has significantly improved.
Currently leading the St. John’s basketball program, Pitino made a triumphant return to Rupp Arena last year to participate in the Wildcats’ Big Blue Madness preseason event. This time, he was met with applause from a Kentucky audience that has moved past old rivalries, no longer associating him with the Louisville red.
The invitation to the event came from Mark Pope, the captain of the 1996 championship team, who took over as Kentucky’s head coach before the previous season. This gesture marked a poignant reconciliation for Pitino with the Kentucky fanbase.
He was invited by Mark Pope, who was the captain of that 1996 Kentucky team and became the Wildcats’ head coach before last season.
It’s all part of the storied history between Pitino and his former school, which will add another chapter when No. 22 St. John’s faces Kentucky in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m happy that my name is hanging from the rafters at Rupp Arena,” said Pitino, who went 219-50 (.814) at Kentucky before leaving in 1997 to coach the Boston Celtics.
“It’s a big part of my life. It’s a big part of eight great years I’ve had there. I’m happy to be part of their family.”
Saturday’s game at State Farm Arena is part of the CBS Sports Classic, an NCAA doubleheader also featuring North Carolina vs. Ohio State.
It marks Pitino’s first time facing Kentucky since Dec. 21, 2016, in what proved to be his final season at Louisville.
There should be much less tension this time around, especially given Pitino and Pope’s mutual affinity. Pope played two seasons at Kentucky under Pitino from 1994-96 and helped lead the second of those teams to a 36-2 record and the sixth NCAA title in program history.
After John Calipari and Kentucky parted ways in 2024, Pitino advocated for the Wildcats to hire Pope as head coach.
Pitino and Pope plan to get dinner on Friday night — and then become rivals for a few hours in the next day’s non-conference tilt.
“We probably have two teams that have really, really high ceilings and haven’t totally found them yet,” Pope said Thursday. “You have two teams that, at any given moment, can be incredibly explosive. But I think that at the heart of it, there’s gonna be a lot of physicality in the game.”
St. John’s (7-3) and Kentucky (7-4) began the season ranked within the top 10 in the AP poll, but both are off to uneven starts as they navigate new-look rosters in the transfer-portal era.
Marquee wins have eluded both schools, with St. John’s 0-3 against ranked opponents and Kentucky 0-4.
While Kentucky is currently unranked, Pitino believes the Wildcats have “improved dramatically” in recent games. And Saturday could mark the Kentucky debut of center Jayden Quaintance, a potential NBA lottery pick who is nearing his return from a torn ACL.
“Obviously, it’s a big-time game, two big-time teams matching up, so it’s gonna be a great challenge for us,” said senior forward Zuby Ejiofor, a co-captain for St. John’s.
“I don’t think we’re thinking about it as Coach Pitino’s former team and going against his former captain or anything like that, but it’s just a matchup we’re really excited for, and we’ve got to get a win.”
St. John’s enters Saturday on a three-game win streak, including Tuesday’s 79-66 victory over DePaul to begin Big East play.
Following Saturday’s game in Atlanta, the Johnnies are set to host Harvard at Carnesecca Arena next week before they begin the rest of their Big East slate.
“We were a replacement for UCLA in the CBS Classic, and I don’t think I would’ve taken [the invitation] if it wasn’t Kentucky, because I thought it would be a great matchup,” Pitino said. “Their size, speed, talent is outstanding. It gets us ready for our conference, and we’re excited about it.”
