Connect with us

Sports

St. John’s rallies to give Rick Pitino 900th on-court win

Published

on

St. John’s rallies to give Rick Pitino 900th on-court win


CINCINNATI — Rick Pitino has rarely considered number of victories when it comes to milestones. For him, it has always been about championships.

The Hall of Fame coach, though, admitted that becoming the fourth coach to reach 900 on-court Division 1 victories was one to savor.

St. John’s rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to defeat Xavier 88-83 on Saturday. The milestone victory came at the expense of his son, Richard, who is in his first season coaching the Musketeers.

“My son, it doesn’t matter,” Pitino said about the win coming against his son. “The great thing is I could spend time with him and the grandkids.”

The NCAA recognizes Pitino with only 777 wins after stripping him of 123 because of infractions at Louisville. Bob Knight had 899 victories, but is credited with 902 by the NCAA because three losses were later ruled forfeits as punishment for program violations by Indiana opponents.

The 73-year-old Pitino has a 900-316 on-court record in 38 seasons as a head coach in college. It began with six games as an interim at Hawaii in 1976.

He is the only coach to win an NCAA title at two schools (Kentucky and Louisville) and the first to take three schools to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville).

He’s also the only coach to direct six schools to the NCAA tournament, including Boston University, Iona and St. John’s.

Pitino also coached at Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona. He also has 10 years in the pros, including with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, along with Greek team Panathinaikos.

“But 900 means that I’ve had longevity. I spent 10 years in the pros. And so, 900 with 10 years in the pros is really something I’m very thankful to all my players and assistant coaches for helping me get there,” he said.

One of those assistants was Richard, who was on his dad’s staff for three seasons at Louisville.

“I’m happy for him that he won 900. I think he’s the best coach to ever coach college basketball. He’d have a lot more if he had stayed at Kentucky,” Richard Pitino said. “When your dad is 73, you just want him to be happy and healthy. We all are reminded way too much at how short life is.

“To see him doing great, being celebrated at St. John’s, that’s all I care about. It keeps him young. I hope he continues to coach. He’s a phenomenal coach, but I’m really, really lucky to have him as a father.”

The younger Pitino surprised his father by wearing a suit on the sidelines for the first time this season. Rick Pitino said it was a nice compliment, and he appreciated it because he knows his 43-year old son hates wearing suits.

When asked where the suit came from, Rick Pitino smiled and said, “It’s probably my suit.”

It was the second straight game the Red Storm rallied from at least a 15-point deficit to win. Tuesday’s win against Seton Hall was at home, though. Saturday’s victory came in front of a sold-out and raucous crowd at Xavier.

“It was a lot of fun. Definitely just the atmosphere and coach going up against his son. It was a tough win but a good win,” said forward Dillon Mitchell, who had 17 points and seven rebounds.

St. John’s players donned T-shirts on the court and in the locker room, marking the milestone. They also doused Pitino with water and Gatorade in the visitors’ locker room at Cintas Center.

Pitino took off his trademark suit and was in St. John’s workout gear when he talked with reporters after drying off.

“I’ve said this all along, how enjoyable this team is, but tonight was the icing on the cake because a lot of teams would break down 12, down 10, and they never broke,” Pitino said.

Mike Krzyzewski leads the way with 1,202 wins, followed by Jim Boeheim (1,116) and Roy Williams (903).

The elder Pitino has won four of five meetings against his son, who previously coached at Florida International, Minnesota and New Mexico.

It is also the 20th time in 23 Division I matchups that the father has defeated the son.

“He didn’t say it, but we all know he really wanted it against his son and happy to pull it through,” said guard Dylan Darling, who hit the go-ahead basket.



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Travis Head and wife Jessica suffer online abuse after Kohli spat

Published

on

Travis Head and wife Jessica suffer online abuse after Kohli spat


Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head (left) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli in action during their Indian Premier League clash, Hyderabad, India, May 22, 2026. — Reuters 

Travis Head and his wife Jessica have been subjected to a barrage of online abuse after the Australian cricketer was embroiled in a spat with India great Virat Kohli during an IPL match.

The players clashed during the T20 match between Head’s Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.

Heated words were exchanged between the two before Kohli was dismissed for 15 and his team slumped to a 55-run defeat.

As the two sets of players lined up for the post-game handshakes, Kohli ignored Head’s outstretched arm but shook hands with the other players.

The Instagram accounts for Head and Jessica have since been flooded with abusive comments, apparently from fans of the former India captain.

Jessica told The Advertiser newspaper that her friends and family had also received hateful private messages.

“I woke up to my socials blasting… we are fine but they are attacking my friends and family,” she said Monday, according to the reports.

“Passion will always be part of sport, but so is remembering there are real people and families behind the game.

“Hopefully this encourages more kindness, and support for one another.”

She also said it felt like “a repeat of the abuse that happened after the World Cup”, referring to the 2023 50-over tournament when Australia beat hosts India in the final in Ahmedabad.





Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

IndyCar driver Caio Collet’s vehicle catches fire in terrifying Indy 500 wreck

Published

on

IndyCar driver Caio Collet’s vehicle catches fire in terrifying Indy 500 wreck


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

IndyCar rookie Caio Collet was involved in a terrifying crash toward the end of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday afternoon with Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward fighting for first place.

Collet got loose in Turn 2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and overcorrected just enough to send his vehicle into the wall. His right rear caught fire as he skidded down the track and onto the grass.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Caio Collet drives a Combitrans AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet through turn three during practice on Miller Lite Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 22, 2026. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire)

Emergency personnel came over to put the fire out and help Collet out of his car.

He was able to walk away from the scary wreck, but track officials called for a red flag. The red flag stopped the race and gave drivers a breather for what would be a total shootout for the final few laps.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Caio Collet leading the field during the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Caio Collet leads the field during the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 24, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)

Collet will fall down the leaderboard as he didn’t finish the race.

The A.J. Foyt Racing driver was making his first appearance in the Indy 500. He graduated into the NTT IndyCar Series after finishing second in the Indy NXT Series last year. He won three races on the Indy NXT Series in 2025.

The Brazilian came into the race in 21st place in the IndyCar standings with 70 points through six starts. He has yet to finish in the top 10 in his first season.

David Maluka talking with Caio Collet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

David Maluka talks with Caio Collet before practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 18, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The 2026 Indy 500 already featured more than 50 lead changes and was one of the more competitive events in recent memory.

Felix Rosenqvist won the race on the final lap.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

2026 NASCAR Odds: Denny Hamlin Favored At Coca-Cola 600, Tyler Reddick Second

Published

on

2026 NASCAR Odds: Denny Hamlin Favored At Coca-Cola 600, Tyler Reddick Second


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

When the NASCAR Cup Series went to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 in 2025, Ross Chastain got into Victory Lane after closing at +1800 to be the outright winner.

Chastain’s impressive win came after leading only eight laps on the day.

Which driver will take the checkered flag when the series goes back to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend for one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewels?

Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 24.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600

Denny Hamlin: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)
Tyler Reddick: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Kyle Larson: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Christopher Bell: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Chase Briscoe: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
William Byron: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Carson Hocevar: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Ryan Blaney: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Chase Elliott: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Brad Keselowski: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Ty Gibbs: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Ross Chastain: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Chris Buescher: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Bubba Wallace: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Alex Bowman: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Austin Dillon: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Joey Logano: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Connor Zilisch: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)

Austin Hill: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Austin Cindric: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
Ryan Preece: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Michael McDowell: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Corey Heim: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Erik Jones: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Shane van Gisbergen: +13000 (bet $10 to win $1,310 total)
AJ Allmendinger: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Daniel Suarez: +17000 (bet $10 to win $1,710 total)
Josh Berry: +18000 (bet $10 to win $1,810 total)
John Hunter Nemechek: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Zane Smith: +35000 (bet $10 to win $3,510 total)
Ty Dillon: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Noah Gragson: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Todd Gilliland: +60000 (bet $10 to win $6,010 total)
Riley Herbst: +60000 (bet $10 to win $6,010 total)
Cole Custer: +80000 (bet $10 to win $8,010 total)
Katherine Legge: +90000 (bet $10 to win $9,010 total)
Timmy Hill: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Cody Ware: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)

Here’s what to know about the oddsboard:

The Favorite 

Denny Hamlin is coming in hot off an All-Star Race win at Dover. And while it wasn’t a points race, coming into Charlotte after starting from the pole and leading 103 laps in last week’s exhibition could give him the momentum he needs to grab the checkered flag at the Coke 600. His first and only win at this race came in 2022. In 2025, he started 20th but finished 16th after posting the best lap of the day at 29.37 and leading 53 laps.

One to Watch

Tyler Reddick is having an incredible season. He’s gotten into Victory Lane five times, including the first three races of the year. Cup qualifying got rained out, so Reddick will start from the pole today at Charlotte in accordance with league rules. On the season, Reddick has led 201 laps and has eight finishes in the top five. In 2025, he finished the Coca-Cola 600 26th after leading only one lap.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending