For 73-year-old St. John's coach Rick Pitino, 'age is just a number'

St. John's coach Rick Pitino is 73. He doesn't have to be coaching at this age. But his drive to turn around the program and leave a lasting impact on his players has him still on the sideline.

Richard Pitino says he’s heard rumors his father would retire as a basketball coach for the last 15 years. Nobody would blame him if he did.

His father, Rick Pitino, is 73 and still roaming the sidelines for St. John’s at a time when the demands on coaches are immense. Many of his peers and former rivals have long since retired, burned out by the task of recruiting and coaching while also raising funds from boosters in order to build title-contending rosters.

The elder Pitino is part of college sports’ old guard. Yet, in a new era, he’s thriving — and not slowing down anytime soon.

“How much longer he goes, I don’t know,” Richard told NBC News. “But after spending a week down there with him (at the NCAA Tournament) in San Diego, if he told me he was 55, I’d say he’s going to go for another 20 years. He’s loving it.”

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino talks to Ian Jackson during the second round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Mitchell Layton/ / Getty ImagesPitino’s No. 5 seed Red Storm, fresh off a thrilling buzzer-beater win against Kansas last Sunday, will face No. 1 Duke on Friday in the Sweet 16. It’s the furthest St. John’s has gone in the postseason since 1999.