Rick Pitino Wins First Big East Coach of the Year Award

Rick Pitino Wins First Big East Coach of the Year Award \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Rick Pitino won his first-ever Big East Coach of the Year award, leading St. John’s to its best season in 40 years. RJ Luis Jr. was named Big East Player of the Year, while UConn’s Liam McNeeley took Freshman of the Year honors. The awards were presented at Madison Square Garden, just before the Big East Tournament tipped off.

Rick Pitino Wins Big East Coach of the Year: Quick Looks

• Pitino’s First Big East Award: The Hall of Famer wins Big East Coach of the Year after leading St. John’s to its best season in 40 years.
• Historic Coaching Feat: Pitino becomes first coach to win Coach of the Year in four different conferences.
• RJ Luis Jr. Shines: The junior wing averaged 18.1 PPG, earning Big East Player of the Year honors—St. John’s first since 1986.
• UConn’s Liam McNeeley Named Freshman of the Year: The Huskies forward dominated despite missing eight games, setting a Big East rookie scoring record.
• Father-Son Coaching Triumph: Pitino’s son, Richard Pitino, won Mountain West Coach of the Year, marking a historic first in Division I basketball.
• Big East Tournament Kicks Off: Pitino’s top-seeded St. John’s squad enters as a favorite to win the title at Madison Square Garden.
• Marquette’s Stevie Mitchell Honored: The Golden Eagles senior won the Big East Scholar-Athlete Award for academic and athletic excellence.

Deep Look

Legendary coach Rick Pitino added another milestone to his illustrious career Wednesday, capturing his first-ever Big East Coach of the Year award.

The Hall of Fame coach guided St. John’s (27-4, 18-2) to its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, after the Red Storm were picked fifth in the preseason poll.

Meanwhile, RJ Luis Jr. was named Big East Player of the Year, and UConn forward Liam McNeeley won Freshman of the Year, highlighting a season of standout performances across the conference.

The awards were presented at Madison Square Garden, just before the start of the Big East Tournament.

Pitino’s Historic Achievement

At 72 years old, Pitino became the first coach to lead five different programs to regular-season conference titles. With 881 career victories, he is the winningest active Division I coach.

“The Big East has had the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball. So it’s a special award today for me to be amongst some of those greats that won this award previously,” Pitino said.

This award was unexpected, considering Pitino has spent 12 seasons in the Big East at Providence, Louisville, and now St. John’s. He previously won Coach of the Year in the SEC (1991, 1996), Conference USA (2005), and MAAC (2022, 2023).

Pitino now joins Oregon’s Dana Altman as the only coaches in Division I history to win Coach of the Year at four different schools in four separate conferences.

Adding to the family success, Pitino’s son, Richard Pitino, was named Mountain West Coach of the Year for leading New Mexico to a conference title.

“Very excited for my son,” Pitino said with a smile. “I think it’s awesome. The Pitino family’s on a great run right now.”

RJ Luis Jr. Named Big East Player of the Year

RJ Luis Jr. capped off a dominant season by winning Big East Player of the Year, becoming St. John’s first winner since Walter Berry (1986).

• Averaged 18.1 points per game (4th in Big East).
• Grabbed 7.1 rebounds per game (6th in conference).
• Finished strong, averaging 24.3 points over the final three regular-season games.

The emotional moment brought Luis to tears as he thanked his family in attendance.

“We’re not finished yet,” Luis said. “This is for my whole family.”

Liam McNeeley Earns Freshman of the Year

UConn’s Liam McNeeley took home Big East Freshman of the Year honors, despite missing eight games with a high ankle sprain.

• Averaged 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Scored a Big East freshman record 38 points in a win over Creighton (Feb. 11).
• Won Big East Freshman of the Week seven times.

McNeeley follows Stephon Castle, who won the award last year, making it back-to-back UConn winners.

He also boldly predicted a deep Big East Tournament run:

“I’ll see you all on Saturday,” McNeeley said, hinting at a UConn trip to the championship game.

Big East Tournament Outlook

With St. John’s surging under Pitino, the top-seeded Red Storm head into the Big East Tournament as favorites.

Meanwhile, UConn and Marquette remain serious contenders, setting the stage for a thrilling postseason battle at Madison Square Garden.

Marquette senior Stevie Mitchell was honored with the Big East Scholar-Athlete Award for his achievements on and off the court.

As the tournament tips off, all eyes are on Pitino and St. John’s to see if their historic regular season can translate into postseason success.

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