Knicks HC Tom Thibodeau Praises St. John's Success

The St. John's Red Storm's NCAA Tournament run has ended but the New York Knicks acknowledged their accomplishments and the bright future.

Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino during the second half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Red Storm has been quelled but the New York Knicks know they're in the eye of it.

Prior to Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged the past, present, and future success that the St. John's University Red Storm's men's basketball program has enjoyed under the watch of head coach Rick Pitino.

St. John's season ended with a loss to an Arkansas group led by John Calipari in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32 on Saturday but Thibodeau praised what Pitino has built and what's to come in Manhattan and Queens.

“I follow from afar,” Thibodeau said of the St. John's affairs, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I watch them whenever I can. They had a heck of a season. Rick has done an incredible job there. The program is on its way. They had a phenomenal year.”

Though based in Queens, St. John's plays its high-profile home games at the Knicks' home of Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm's success in year two under the watch of Pitino, combined with the Knicks' success, made for one of the most exciting basketball winters in recent Manhattan memory.

Saturday marked the end of a successful yet sorrowful season for St. John's: back in December, the program bid farewell to program icon and all-time winningest head coach Lou Carnesecca, who passed away at the age of 99.

Pitino, one of Thibodeau's predecessors at the helm of the Knicks, oversaw a 31-win effort, the best victory tally since the Carnesecca's group reached that mark in 1985-86. The Red Storm also won the Big East Tournament at MSG first time since 2000 as RJ Luis Jr. joined current Knicks Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Tyler Kolek in the brotherhood of the competition's MVP award.

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