HOUSTON — Dan Hurley is expecting Rick Pitino to turn St. John’s around fast.
The hire of the Hall of Fame coach has created buzz and excitement around the Queens program, which hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.
While Pitino has to rebuild a roster that was a major disappointment the past two years under Mike Anderson, the expectation is Pitino will make the Johnnies matter again on a national scale almost immediately.
“It’s got unbelievable tradition and history, and you have MSG, and you have a basketball-focused conference, and obviously his background as a coach,” Hurley said of Pitino, who has led three schools — Providence, Kentucky and Louisville — to the Final Four during his legendary career. “I don’t think it’s going to take him long to have them potentially back in this tournament, especially with how quickly you can do things now with the [transfer] portal.”
It’s not just St. John’s in the Big East that is expected to improve with a new coach, either. Georgetown hired Ed Cooley away from Providence, which will only strengthen the league, Hurley believes.
The Hoyas’ last at-large berth to the tournament came way back in 2015, but they now have a coach who brought Providence back to national relevance and is expected to do the same at Georgetown.
The Hoyas bottomed out under Patrick Ewing, going 2-37 in league play the previous two years.
“It’s great for the league. Those games have been like, at best, Quad 2 games and at worst Quad 3 and 4 games, and programs of that stature, in terms of the brand, it’s important for overall strength of the league,” Hurley said. “I think it will make the games more exciting, more eyeballs on it. Viewership will go up. Excitement for the games will go up.
“I don’t think the league gets as much credit as it probably should get as being one of the top basketball leagues in the country, top two or three every single year. But a strong Georgetown and strong St. John’s will help with that.”
The Big East has enjoyed a breakthrough March as it is, with three of its five tournament teams — UConn, Creighton and Xavier — reaching the Sweet 16, and the Huskies entering this weekend’s Final Four as the overwhelming favorite.
Villanova star guard Justin Moore announced on Friday he will be returning for one more season, giving the Wildcats a major boost after missing the tournament for the first time since 2012.
Xavier, Creighton and Marquette, coached by Associated Press National Coach of the Year Shaka Smart, should remain top-25-caliber teams.
The league’s one problem this past season was its lack of depth, but the additions of Pitino and Cooley at St. John’s and Georgetown should significantly improve two of the conference’s biggest brands.
