A native of New York City, the 72-year-old Pitino is no stranger to the Knicks. He was an assistant coach in New York from 1983-85 and led the Knicks from 1987-89. He left after two seasons with a 90-74 record and consecutive appearances in the NBA playoffs.

The St. John's coach calls it the most pressurized situation for the new coach he's ever seen with the franchise.

Rick Pitino has revived college basketball in New York as head coach of the St. John's Red Storm. He's created a ton of buzz around the Johnnies and as long as he keeps recruiting and hitting the portal at a high level, St. John's should be a consistent March Madness contender under his watchful eye.