“St. John’s didn’t get built by the NIL. St. John’s got built with character of the players.” Those were the words of Rick Pitino in the moments following St. John’s victory that clinched them the Big East Championship, ending their 25-year title drought. It was a massive moment for the Red Storm with it being their first Big East Tournament title since 2000 and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. But there was more good news beyond that victory for the Red Storm and Pitino.

Backing Pitino is billionaire Mike Repole, a St. John’s alum and founder of BodyArmor. His involvement has been an invaluable asset to the program, particularly in funding the school’s NIL efforts; according to Pitino, Repole provides roughly 50% of the NIL pool, a direct factor in St. John’s securing the talent it did. Operating with what Pitino suggested is a $3.5-$4 million NIL payroll, Repole has boosted St. John’s into one of the top programs in the country, giving Pitino the tools he needs to succeed.

This solid financial backing has allowed Rick Pitino to pull in some high-profile transfers, like Kadary Richmond, who was ranked the No. 1 player in the 247Sports Transfer Portal. Thanks to Repole’s support, Pitino has been able to leverage the transfer portal like never before, making St. John’s a major player in what is now the equivalent of free agency in college basketball. It’s a huge advantage in a landscape where recruitment is becoming increasingly competitive. But it gets even more intriguing than that.

Pitino was recently a guest on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, where he discussed how St. John’s finds itself in a very advantageous position to benefit from a new financial model developing in college sports. Through a new revenue-sharing model, each school will see about $22 million annually. Most schools will likely invest that money into their football programs, but St. John’s has an unusual advantage in skipping this consideration. Instead of the school having to split that money between football and basketball, the Red Storm can funnel all that dough into their basketball program.

Pitino, long a believer in creating a strong basketball culture, thinks St. John’s is uniquely suited to having an advantage because of this development. He noted that, because schools without football teams — like those in the Big East, St. John’s included — don’t spend money on football, it gives them a leg up financially when making investments in hooping.

Interestingly, Pitino even floated the idea of a Big East-ACC merger, which he thinks would result in a college basketball super-conference. He’s not the only one in favor of this. Even Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski has called for a Big East-ACC merger, seeing it as a major net positive for college basketball. But looking ahead, for now, St. John’s has its eyes on the biggest prize of all.

National Championship within sight for Rick Pitino and Co.

After the Big East Championship, Rick Pitino shared an emotional moment about what it meant to bring success back to St. John’s and New York City: “I am, as a New Yorker, about as proud as any person could be because, you know, when I hear St. John’s is New York’s team and we’re New York strong and we represent New York, that makes me feel awesome inside.” This win wasn’t just a victory for the team; it was a victory for New York and for Pitino personally. It’s moments like these that define the legacy of a coach. But with what lays tantalizingly ahead now – still out of reach – is spurring the 72 year old coach.

The Red Storm earned a No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the product of Pitino’s superb second year at the helm in Queens. Fresh off their Big East regular season and tournament championships, St. John’s will open up their National Championship bid in Providence, taking on Omaha in the first round.

“We were hoping for Providence,” an emphatic Pitino reported. “We were hoping for a two-seed. And we were hoping we’d win the [outright] regular season [Big East title]. We were hoping we’d win the conference championship. So get your Providence tickets. Head up north. When you pass Storrs on the way by, just wave to them”, said Pitino, taking a subtle dig at Dan Hurley’s Huskies.

Interestingly, Pitino’s confidence didn’t stop just there. He’s already thinking ahead, where in the second round, they could face the winner of Arkansas vs. Kansas. “We know [Omaha’s] a high-scoring team. They shoot a lot of threes. And if we get by them, we obviously have our work cut out for us as well against Arkansas-Kansas winner—I have no idea who’s going to win that game. So it’s exciting.”

With a good staff behind him, deep-pocketed financial support and Pitino leading the charge, the St. John’s future looks promising. With the Red Storm rising, St. John’s means business.