Expect St. John’s to soar to new heights in Rick Pitino Year 2 for one big reason

Look, it’s wholly imaginable that this is conscionable a statistical quirk that whitethorn person nary bases successful modern times. College hoops is an wholly different entity than it was moreover 3 years ago, fto unsocial 30. 

Still, it’s happened a lot. 

Too often to conscionable constitute disconnected arsenic an anomaly. 

So present goes: 

When Rick Pitino originates his 2nd twelvemonth arsenic nan caput coach astatine St. John’s Nov. 4 erstwhile Fordham visits Carnesecca Arena, location will beryllium immoderate number of reasons to consciousness bully astir nan Johnnies taking a measurement guardant — chiefly a roster that, connected paper, seems much successful tune pinch Pitino’s methodology. 

They offered a hopeful glimpse by beating Rutgers successful an exhibition, since Rutgers is simply a Top 25 squad that, by season’s end, mightiness good beryllium taking purpose astatine nan apical 15. 

Those are nan existent reasons to person hope. 

Here is another: 

At each 1 of Pitino’s erstwhile 5 assemblage stops, nan squad took gigantic steps guardant successful Year 2. Every azygous time, BU to Providence, Kentucky to Louisville to Iona. And successful almost each case, Year 2 group nan reside for what would beryllium nan entirety of nan Pitino tenures there. 

You tin look it up: 

Boston University 

Year 1, 1978-78: 17-9 

Year 2, 1979-80: 21-9, which included a regular-season title successful nan aged ECAC North. It was nan Terrier’s first 20-win play successful 19 years and conscionable nan 2nd going backmost to nan program’s founding successful 1915. They besides played successful their first NIT, which was still a legit consolation prize astatine nan time, losing to BC astatine BC. 

Providence 

Year 1, 1985-86: 17-14 

Year 2, 1976-87: 25-9, which earned nan Friars their first NCAA Tournament successful 9 years (just 2 years aft they mislaid 20 games). And they made nan astir of it, too, winning 4 consecutive games including an 88-73 thrashing of Georgetown successful nan Southeast Regional finals astatine Louisville’s Freedom Hall. 

Kentucky 

Year 1, 1989-90: 14-14 

Year 2, 1990-91: 22-6, which included wins complete Kansas, Notre Dame and Louisville, past a 14-4 grounds successful nan Southeastern Conference, which earned nan Wildcats nan SEC regular-season title. They were ineligible for nan NCAA Tournament because of two-year probation Pitino inherited but vanished ninth successful nan past AP poll. 

Louisville 

Year 1, 2001-02: 19-13 

Year 2, 2002-03: 25-7, which included nan Conference USA Tournament title and a travel to nan NCAAs arsenic a No. 4 seed, wherever nan Cardinals hit Austin Peay earlier becoming nan 2nd of Butler’s 5 upset victims that twelvemonth connected nan measurement to nan finals. An 81-63 stomping of Kentucky early successful nan twelvemonth group nan tone. 

Iona 

Year 1, 2020-21: 12-6 

Year 2, 2021-22: 25-8, and though this 1 tests nan exemplary somewhat because successful nan COVID-affected ’20–21 play — nan Gaels really stormed done nan MAAC playoffs to gain an NCAA bid successful Year 1 — by nan 2nd play they had evolved into nan people of nan convention and were 17-3 successful nan convention earlier losing a one-point heartbreaker to Rider astatine Boardwalk Hall. 

St. John’s 

Year 1, 2023-24: 20-13 

Year 2, 2023-24: ? 

Again, it’s a different roadmap now, and wherever erstwhile immoderate of Pitino’s inherent skills were program-building and instilling a civilization that lasted arsenic 1 recruiting people joined another, now it’s go a athletics of roster assembling, 1 recruiting people replacing another. There are nary givens anywhere. 

But this is simply a bully roadworthy map. This is simply a adjuvant model. It besides makes sense. At each nan places he had been earlier (except Iona, which had been terrific for years until Tim Cluess was forced unexpectedly to time off nan program), astir of what needed to beryllium done successful Year 1 was a complete reversal of a antagonistic tide. 

And by Year 2, he could get to activity astatine his ain tide. 

Such is nan lawsuit here. Mike Anderson near a messiness (though not capable of 1 that he deserved to beryllium bilked retired of nan money owed him, a continuing ugliness connected St. John’s part), and Pitino cleaned it up successful Year 1. Going by nan past, that’s what he does connected immoderate field he hangs his shingle.

Vac’s whacks

Maybe it’s me, but I’m starting to get nan thought nan Jets’ problems ran a small spot deeper than Robert Saleh.

We mislaid him six years ago, but Rusty Staub is still doing bully work. This week his instauration held its 39th gala to raise money for New York’s first responders. The instauration has helped much than 500 families and distributed much than $5.8 cardinal this twelvemonth alone. John Franco was 1 of nan co-chairs of nan dinner. 

I get it: If you’re a Yankees fan, you’d alternatively instrumentality a pencil successful your oculus than beryllium reminded of 2004. Still, if your rooting interests dishonesty anyplace else, Netflix’s three-part bid “The Comeback” is immoderate damn good documentary work. 

It’s astonishing that little than 1 period agone nan Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Lindor (again), Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Stanton (again, and again) and Juan Soto location runs hadn’t happened yet. Talk astir history successful a hurry.

Whack backmost astatine Vac

Joe Gregorio: Mike, erstwhile is nan NFL going to outlaw, arsenic I deliberation they should, the alleged Tush Push? It seems eminently unfair to me. 

Vac: I’m unfastened to beryllium told really this is wrong, but I look astatine it nan measurement I look astatine nan guardant walk backmost astatine nan start: It’s connected nan defense to fig a measurement to extremity (or astatine slightest minimize) it. 

John Twomey: Mike, I looked guardant to this Knicks opener. Never made it to halftime. Turned nan TV disconnected and went backmost to nan caller Michael Connelly book. 

Vac: That is what they telephone an “excellent life choice.” 

@harrelson69: My begetter was a diehard Yankee fan. I’m judge he’s smiling down from eden and going to watch it from there. 

@MikeVacc: He’ll beryllium sitting successful nan adjacent conception complete from my dad. 

Sal L. Lamander: Here’s a spot of sports trivia I haven’t seen elsewhere: Randy Johnson has a 7-9 grounds life successful nan postseason — 5-0 vs. nan Yankees, 2-9 vs. everyone else. As a Yankees instrumentality who’s still not complete 2001, acknowledgment a lot, Randy. 

Vac: And you thought nan 5.00 ERA he had arsenic a Yankee successful 2006 was capable of a gift …