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00:00Providence is getting into St. John's head offensively.
00:13Floyd's up against the clock. Great defense by St. John's to close it out.
00:19Providence though, a scintillating 63 percent from the floor.
00:24Need some adjustments in red.
00:25You guys keep blowing opportunity upon opportunity upon opportunity.
00:31You're like children with bad things happening. Instead of digging in to be tougher, you wilt.
00:38Where is your toughness? Where have you guys been raised that you're so weak mentally that
00:44you just give up when something doesn't go right for you? Don't you know what adversity is all
00:49about? That's the game of life, not the game of basketball. You don't get down when things go
00:56wrong. You dig in and get tougher. Your whole life's going to be adversity. Learn how to deal with it.
01:06Providence does it. The big upset. The Louisville Cardinals are champions.
01:11Rick Pitino, his biggest win without a question of a doubt. The king of college basketball.
01:20Big game this Sunday. There's going to be all eyes on 33rd and 7th. Madison Square Garden,
01:28St. John's versus New Mexico Lobos. Rick Pitino versus Richard Pitino.
01:33Obviously a father-son reunion at the Garden.
01:37I grew up on 26th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue of Manhattan
01:42in walking distance to Madison Square Garden. Growing up a gigantic Knick fan.
01:48Later on, when I was coaching the New York Knicks, I brought my kids to practice. They were New York
01:53Knick ball boys. And now my son is the head coach of the team we're facing at Madison Square Garden.
02:00It's quite special. But once we shake hands, it's all focused on the game, what takes place between
02:06the lines. When it comes to coaching college basketball, Rick and Richard Pitino share a
02:13desire to win and the same last name. That's where the similarities end.
02:20Brady, that's exactly what they do. They reach in every time. You got to be tougher with the ball
02:24than that. He likes to create as much pressure as possible, which is obviously a good thing.
02:31Cut through, go, go. Good, good, good. But I'm different, certainly. I want them to be
02:39looser, confident. Good, good, good. He's a little more fear-based.
02:48All my life, it's been winning and I was miserable if we lost.
02:52How many guys are you going to lose? You just stood on that inside cut. Stay in your stance.
02:57He wants everybody to try so hard to win because they despise losing.
03:04Now, do I like losing now? No. But every aspect of coaching I enjoy. I have a smile on my face
03:10all the time now. You killed the f****** play. You killed the play. Go back door.
03:17He wants to create a level of just hatred of losing and you'll do anything at all costs
03:23to go get a win. I just took you out. How did you go back in?
03:27Nobody's taking you out. You f****** stay in the game. Some of you guys are f****** out of shape
03:32because you keep resting. We will watch film right away when we get back to the hotel. Then
03:36you guys can walk around, do whatever you want or get off your feet. Look, he's going to be my son
03:41if we win or lose. I'll still love him, by the way. This is not about who wins and who loses.
03:47This is about both teams playing a great game. This is the team that we want to beat. We don't
03:52want to lose to these f****** guys. You know, I'm sure it's always an interesting week for Rich
04:00and Rick when they play each other. Make it interesting at the old dinner table there.
04:05Make it a little awkward. They're capable of beating us. I know that.
04:13I never have thought about disowning a son, but it may come to that.
04:22What do you want, Richard? I'll take a Clas Azul.
04:27With an orange slice, one cube. Brand new sturdy martini.
04:32Richard Patino spent years as an assistant coach on his father's staff before branching out to
04:36become a head coach. Since then, father and son have squared off three times with Rick
04:42holding a two to one advantage over his son. The night before the big game allows for a
04:47mini family reunion and a chance for dad to play mind games with his son.
04:52What are you drinking tonight? I'm drinking ginger ale. Nice martini. Yeah, that's a ginger ale,
04:58right? So Stevie asked me today, he said, will Richard come with any new stuff defensively or
05:04offensively? I said, yeah, he may press us a little bit. I said, it's a big mistake if he
05:10presses us, but if he does, we'll be ready for it. New Mexico already owns a win over UCLA,
05:20but the buzz is for a father against his son. Who's starting tomorrow? Qadari's hurt.
05:27No, he's not. No, he is. If he's able to play, he's going to come off the bench.
05:31Here are your starting lineups. Qadari, Richmond, and Davon Smith in the backcourt,
05:36and St. John's the coaches. Rich Patino. All the way to the ring.
05:41Louis all the way. RJ Lewis. After having surgery on both of his legs to try to correct
05:56recurring shin splints last year, Rick Patino heaping praise, saying that RJ Lewis was as good
06:02a raw talent as he's ever coached. I'm able to practice now. I'm able to be with the team more,
06:07and I just feel great. I'm excited. I'm pumped. I got no more pain,
06:11so it's going to be fun to just be on the court with no limitations.
06:17Lewis out of control.
06:23Will you just relax? It's going too fast. I got high expectations for me.
06:30Richard was asked, so what are the things that you did as a staff member with Rick
06:37that you now do with your staff members? He said, nothing. There were 4 a.m. wake-up calls.
06:43It was around the clock. I said goodbye to that life.
06:48I got a 9.30 film. Where's your film?
06:52At the hotel I'm staying at. Where are you sleeping? You're sleeping at the...
06:54I'm sleeping at the hotel. You are?
06:57I'm sleeping at the hotel. You are?
07:01Because of basketball. I'm away for 14 hours a day.
07:06To this day, my wife and I probably spend very little time together.
07:12All the time we were dating, I was working at 5-stop basketball camp as a counselor,
07:16so at a very young age, she knew that getting a job was really important.
07:21We got married, and we were going on a honeymoon. Didn't have a job.
07:25Both families didn't come for much money, and told I'd be right back. I had to meet
07:31with someone about a job. I took the job, and we never got the honeymoon.
07:47Jack fired up. Jack is fired up.
07:51My grandson Jack is a super fan, and as a grandfather,
07:55it's so awesome to see my grandson behind his dad like this.
08:02He'll tell me that you're going to get your ass kicked, pop pop,
08:05big time. We're going to win by 30 points. Mom's sitting with you.
08:11What's the experience like for your wife?
08:13She's all in. Richard's sitting behind his bench, and she's come out on record.
08:16He's blood, and she's rooting for him.
08:21In all honesty, we could lose this game very easily.
08:25The next time I speak to your mother will be five years from now.
08:28If we win?
08:28I'm moving in the city.
08:34Entry to Nellie Jr. Joseph. It's a four-point game.
08:38Timeout, Rick Pitino. Here come the Lobos.
08:42Good, good. Right there, fellas. We're right there. Keep battling. Enjoy every second of it.
08:48Be relentless every time down the pod. Be relentless.
08:53He's very unique. There's not a lot of people with his relentless,
08:59just aggressiveness to go try to win in everything that he does.
09:02You know, it doesn't matter what he's doing. You're playing golf. He wants to win.
09:06You're working out. He wants to work out harder than you, and I marvel at that.
09:11I'd much rather lose to him than any person on earth.
09:14If I lose to Danny Hurley, if I lose to whoever, I'm in a miserable mood. I hate life itself. I want
09:22to die. But with my five children, the way I grew up and the way they grew up
09:31is about as different and polar opposite as anything could be.
09:36St. John's University is located in the New York City borough of Queens,
09:42and for Rick Pitino coaching, there is a return to his beginning.
09:48We moved out when I was age nine to Queens. My parents were blue-collar workers. They're
09:55working hard just to survive, just to put food on the table. They were gone out of the house at 530
10:03and I'd get up at 630. The breakfast would be on the table, eat my breakfast, walked about a half
10:10a mile, three quarters of a mile to school. I'm walking at six, seven, eight years of age, sometimes
10:15with my cousin, sometimes by myself. Come home. There was nobody home. There's no nannies at home.
10:24My parents get home 530, give me a lot of love and affection.
10:30But that routine was a lot of alone time, a lot of alone time.
10:36I would play three-on-three basketball in the park. If I could play 12 hours a day,
10:41I'd play 12 hours a day. Fell in love with basketball from that point.
10:48You get your competitive juices going, making sure you've got the right guys and that you win some games.
10:55Making sure you've got the right guys and that you win some games.
11:03Five on the shot clock. Richmond! Eyes in the back of his head!
11:11And Lewis shows his length. Wide out snuffed. Richmond to Lewis. RJ Lewis has had a day.
11:20RJ can do the most. He can shoot the basketball. He can pass the basketball. He's long.
11:26Doesn't have a major weakness. Shot clock at 10.
11:36Qaadari Richmond.
11:38Qaadari Richmond.
11:45Dagger! New Mexico cut it to four. St. John's finished on an 18-10 run.
11:55I love basketball. But if you said to me, what am I most proud of? I would say that
12:03it's being a good dad and certainly making family first. It's more than just basketball.
12:10It's my family. We'll remember this forever. And look, he's my son. He is a great young coach.
12:19He's one of the bright young offensive minds in the game today. He's a lot different than me.
12:25He handles losing much better than me. I've learned to accept it by coming to Queens.
12:32For Coach Patino, coaching in New York means morning coffee with old friends,
12:40where decades-long conversations pick up right where you left off.
12:44I was driving to the archery to get a foot massage last night. It's $41 for an hour.
12:48For a foot massage? Yes. I've never had a foot massage in my life.
12:51He says the foot controls the whole body. Give all the players foot massages every day.
12:55Forget about everything else.
12:56I think Coach is doing a great job with St. John's. Great job.
13:02You need a little bit better shooting, three-point shooting.
13:05Don't be knocking my players. Especially not to a coach with Patino's history of developing
13:10three-point shooters, dating back to the shot's introduction into college basketball.
13:15Every team is different.
13:16For me as a coach, the strategy of the team changes because of the athletes you're coaching.
13:29Your teams don't shoot threes the way they once did, yet that moniker stays with you.
13:34Different type of team. It's not a great shooting team,
13:36not a bad shooting team. It's not a great shooting team.
13:40I'll give you an example.
13:42Back in the day when I was coaching college at Providence,
13:45I knew my team was small and unathletic.
13:49And in the 1986-87 season, Coach Patino's Providence Friars are confronting a Big East
13:55conference loaded with national powerhouses.
14:02After my sophomore year, you had three teams in the Final Four, Villanova,
14:05Georgetown, and St. John's, and Villanova won the national championship.
14:08Our team just was not very good.
14:09So they needed something offensively to get us over to Hump.
14:12It was the first year in a three-point line.
14:14He's shooting for three, and he got it.
14:17From his time as an assistant coach in the NBA, Patino sees this new addition to the college game
14:23as the way for the Providence Friars to compete against a Big East conference
14:26loaded with national powerhouses.
14:29He got to Providence just as the NCAA was going with a three-point line,
14:32and it's hard to imagine now, but back then, a lot of people didn't think it was a three-point
14:37But back then, a lot of people didn't think it was a makeable shot.
14:40They thought it was a bad idea.
14:44A lot of the older coaches, of course, at the time Rick was very young,
14:47did not like the three-point line, did not want the three-point line.
14:50So even when it went into effect, they didn't embrace it.
14:55Back in the 1980s, they didn't have the three-point line painted on the court.
14:58So he made one, and he told his players,
15:01if your toe is on that line, it's a bad shot.
15:04Good ball movement by the Friars, and three-pointer is good by Billy Donovan.
15:08That was a team that really revolutionized the game,
15:11because Rick was probably the first person to really utilize the three as an offensive weapon.
15:19He saw, first of all, basic math.
15:22Three's more than two, so if we shoot enough of them,
15:26and we make a high enough percentage, then we're going to be ahead of the game.
15:30A lot of people say with Providence that I was the godfather to three-point shot.
15:36But I have to give all the credit to the Russian national team.
15:41We were playing against the Russians in an exhibition game.
15:44I thought we'd take 15 a game and make five or six.
15:47And the Russians took 32, and we lost the game.
15:51So I had to change my thinking because of the Russians.
15:55I said, now we're going to have to make seven or eight threes per game
15:57and take anywhere from 20 to 25.
16:01I was just some 23-year-old knucklehead.
16:04You couldn't be lower on the totem pole than I was.
16:09I still remember our first game against American University.
16:13We win the tap, and we're shooting a three off the jump.
16:18Steal.
16:18Instead of shooting a layup, swing it to the weak side.
16:21Another three.
16:22It was 9-0 before American got the ball across half court.
16:27And it just showed me how far ahead of the curve he was.
16:30We played so different than everybody else.
16:32Because of Coach Patino's experience in the NBA,
16:35as assistant coach for the New York Knicks prior to coming to Providence,
16:38he had a working knowledge of how to create three-point shots.
16:42We ran pick and roll game.
16:44And that gave us an ability to mask many of our weaknesses.
16:50How about the weight?
16:51Have you since the weigh-in?
16:53220, still good.
16:55No, but you haven't lost anything?
16:56I've lost two pounds.
16:58But it's Thanksgiving.
16:59You go under 200, you get a new suit.
17:01Wait a second, I think there's carbs in here.
17:03No carbs, no sugar.
17:05No carbs?
17:0622 grams.
17:07That's not a lot.
17:0822.
17:10Coach Patino's focus on fitness has served all of his programs well.
17:15But perhaps no single player more so than Billy Donovan
17:18during their run together at Providence.
17:22He laid out very clearly for me, like,
17:23listen, you're a good 25 pounds overweight.
17:26You need to get much, much better shape.
17:27He gave me a target weight that I needed to hit.
17:31Billy was the perfect person to play for Rick Patino.
17:34He was a gym rat who loved basketball.
17:36He didn't care about getting yelled at.
17:38He didn't care about being coached hard.
17:40He wanted to be.
17:45Billy Donovan was, I think, the most valuable player in college basketball that year.
17:50And he doesn't get there without Coach Patino with,
17:55like, simultaneously a foot up his ass and an arm around him.
18:05In 1987, that game between Georgetown and Providence,
18:08the Hoyas were still the kingpins.
18:14Providence was trying to make that big step.
18:17Back then, the Hoyas were the most intimidating program in the nation.
18:21John Thompson has taken the Hoyas to eight straight NCAA tournaments.
18:24And John Thompson is the most intimidating coach.
18:35The players were upset.
18:37Thompson gets really upset.
18:38He starts shouting at Patino.
18:40You guys are the dirtiest bunch of MFs I've ever coached against.
18:44I started laughing.
18:45I had a bunch of altar boys who were afraid of their own shadow, basically.
18:49Now Patino and John going chin to chin.
18:52I got upset.
18:52I stood at his navel, ready to punch his navel.
18:55And Rick is like...
18:58John not happy about some of the gifts.
19:01And then they won it on a Pops Lewis wing jumper at the end of the game.
19:07We're coming down the cases for the win.
19:09It's Lewis again.
19:12It's all over.
19:13It had to be Rick's biggest win at that point at the college level.
19:18If you hope to reach your potential as a team, you adapt because players change.
19:28Guys, the strength of our team, we go five out,
19:34is there's not a guy on this team that can't beat a man off his dribble 101.
19:37This team is different.
19:39It's a very athletic team.
19:41It's a very long team.
19:42We have great size.
19:44So we want to create movement so somebody can beat that man and create for others.
19:49Each place has had different types of teams.
19:51And I think this one is unique to its own.
19:55He's improved his game.
19:57He beat you off the bounce.
19:59Rick took over the program last year.
20:01The end of the year, all of a sudden, everything gelled together
20:04and they were probably top 20 in the country.
20:06This year, we're starting with a much better group.
20:09By the end of the year, look out boys, look out.
20:13He's telling you too much.
20:16I have to get going.
20:16I have to get to a foot massage.
20:27St. John's practices combine many elements,
20:30teaching, conditioning, scrimmaging,
20:33and a strong emphasis on player skill development.
20:40Don't give a second look.
20:42Turn that blind.
20:44With years of coaching adults in the NBA,
20:47Coach Patino knows that college players are still very young men,
20:51most of whom only recently left their family homes,
20:54and that their development extends well beyond the court.
20:58Coaching college basketball, it's a lot different than the NBA.
21:02You're not only trying to make them better basketball players,
21:06but you're trying to make them better people.
21:08When I look at my players and I see that one doesn't have a family
21:12that's heavily involved, you spend more time off the court with players like that.
21:16And those are the ones that need the most mentoring.
21:20But then there's the flip side, the Zoobies.
21:24He's got a family that's heavily involved with him,
21:29and that's really important.
21:33Working out with Coach P in player development sessions,
21:37there's countless hours of time just put in the gym.
21:40It came from seeing how hard my mom works.
21:44She wakes up, she works a 7-10, and trying to provide for the family.
21:50I'm really just inspired by her mentality to go to work,
21:54even when she doesn't feel like doing it.
21:56Nine offensive rebounds in the game for Edgerford.
21:58That's incredible.
22:00My father is in Nigeria currently.
22:03He does work down there, and then he'll come back.
22:07He'll come back home and spend time with his family.
22:09We do still stay in touch.
22:10We all love him.
22:12Every kid's dream is to put their parents out of a job of working too hard.
22:17So I do what I do for her, and not just for her,
22:20for my pops, for my second family as well.
22:25No whistle, and now Edgerford at one.
22:29Zooby got connected through a youth basketball team to the Filichak family,
22:33who provide additional support to the St. John's Starting Power Forward.
22:38Andy, Filichak, and Sheena, Fung, those are my second family.
22:42I don't call her second mom or second pops or anything like that.
22:46I call them pops and mama.
22:48Those are my family for life.
22:51We met Zooby back in middle school.
22:54We're watching the game, and I see this big, tall, skinny kid, never stop moving.
23:00And I was like, man.
23:02But I couldn't catch the ball.
23:04The ball would just slip in his hand.
23:08That's the first year I ever played basketball.
23:10So I was like, man, he is really good.
23:12And my wife's like, no, he sucks.
23:15I was like, hey, I'm Dr. Andy.
23:18I got a little team that I started out three years ago.
23:22I want you to come play for me.
23:24Let's go.
23:25Keep your hands up.
23:25There you go.
23:26Good, good.
23:27So I started picking him up from school, bring him to my house, go to practice.
23:32Sheena would cook for him, help him do his homework.
23:35There's no one like Zooby.
23:37Man, he is special.
23:39Now we're father and son relationship.
23:42Everything he needs, I'm there for him.
23:45Especially when my dad is away, he's been there to support me, and I love him to death.
23:51He works so hard from middle school to high school.
23:55And he's gotten better and better and better.
23:59So I was like, we might be able to get Zooby a scholarship to college.
24:03And Kansas called.
24:05Man, we were like, wow.
24:07So we got all these high hopes.
24:09But he averaged like two minutes a game in Kansas.
24:12And I knew it affected him.
24:15You work so hard to get to a certain spot.
24:18You know, you just like, you lost all hope.
24:22But then St. John called me.
24:24I was like, St. John, it's still open?
24:27Who's the head coach at St. John?
24:28And he was like, Coach Patino.
24:32And I was like, man, Rick Patino, he's the godfather.
24:36I won't lie, I didn't know a lot.
24:38But my pops filled me in on how legendary of a coach he is and the programs he's taken
24:42to the Final Four.
24:44So we got to St. John.
24:45And then Coach Patino was like, we're going to make him shoot 55 shots.
24:4955 shots, three pointer.
24:52He said, Zuby, you ready?
24:54And then Coach P walked up to me.
24:55He was like, Andy, how many do you think he's going to make?
24:59I was like, out of 55?
25:0112?
25:04First shot.
25:06Swish.
25:07Second shot.
25:09Swish.
25:10First 10 shots, he made 8 out of 10.
25:14He killed the workout.
25:15Like, kill it.
25:17Coach Patino, he ran over to Andy.
25:20You undersold your son, man.
25:21This kid has a motor.
25:23I love him.
25:24I want him.
25:25But after I'm done with him, man, he is going to be a killer.
25:30Man, I was like, we're at St. John.
25:33We're Catholics.
25:35God is here.
25:37God is with Zuby right now.
25:41Hey, y'all figure out what y'all want to eat for dinner.
25:43Korean barbecue.
25:44Korean barbecue.
25:45Korean barbecue.
25:47I got to go change clothes, though.
25:49Zuby and his visiting family walked to Times Square to see a new billboard featuring him.
25:56Playing basketball in New York, honestly, there's nothing like it.
25:59Let's see.
26:00Let's see.
26:03Hey!
26:05Wow.
26:10It just means a lot, you know, for me, for my family.
26:13Almost brought tears to my eyes, man.
26:14Not going to lie, because when we came to visit St. John, I look at Z.
26:18I was like, Z, maybe one day, man, your picture will be up there.
26:22I said, Z, there's only one team that's going to win a national championship.
26:26And whatever happens this season, you're already a winner.
26:30I'm already proud of you.
26:31You know, like, be proud of yourself and enjoy the moment.
26:43We're trying to change little things with you guys.
26:46And it's necessary for you to become a better basketball player, to master
26:51unselfish playing, because unfortunately, all people have a sense of ego that hurts
26:56their development.
26:58So when I tell you that we're going to ghost a pick and roll, and you must pass the ball
27:02because three guys are going to run after you, and we go in and we take a bad shot,
27:06how did I know that was going to happen?
27:08I'm coaching 50 years, and it happens all the time.
27:11All right, let's get on to this.
27:13Please take my language out of that.
27:15It wasn't the play I wanted to run, I wanted to pass the ball.
27:32Short, tapped out, two seconds, Lewis, all the way, one!
27:40It wasn't the play I wanted to run.
27:42I wanted to pass the ball and get Zuby a shot.
27:46He was wide open and we didn't throw it to him.
27:51We could've won the game if we would've ran the play
27:53that I wanted.
27:54The team has great heart,
27:55but we've gotta listen a little bit better.
27:59Without question, RJ's a great talent
28:03and he's great to have on the basketball team.
28:06But in trying to force things,
28:09RJ's biggest weakness is himself.
28:12Lewis, it's a hop skip, bunny hop,
28:15it goes the other way.
28:20As winter in the Northeast grows colder,
28:23the schedule for St. John's heats up.
28:26As they begin to make their way through the gauntlet,
28:29that is the Big East.
28:32You gotta catch the wave.
28:33There it is.
28:35Starting at Patino's old team.
28:38Up next for St. John's is Providence.
28:42Providence is a very tough place to play.
28:45Four months, huh?
28:45Did you see the play Kelly Jackie's made?
28:48The black shot?
28:49The black and then the...
28:50From behind the lamp?
28:51Yeah.
28:52St. John's have not won there since 2021
28:57and in the last 25 years about,
28:59they've only won five times.
29:02Here we go guys, let's go, let's go.
29:05But if we are talking about St. John's
29:07as a top three team in this conference,
29:09it is time to go on the road and win tough games.
29:13The kid, Lewis.
29:15RJ Lewis.
29:16RJ Lewis.
29:17I think he is microwave type of guy.
29:21He has a scoring mentality.
29:22He wants to score, but he's also a great passer,
29:25but he likes to score.
29:27If he has a choice between scoring or passing,
29:29he's going to take the score.
29:30And the Zuby, like, the most improved from last year.
29:35The Zuby's really just maturing physically and mentally.
29:39I know you don't take time too much to look around.
29:41This has to feel special to you after all these years.
29:44Well, it's changed quite a bit.
29:46When I was coaching, it was a fairly new arena, somewhat.
29:51When I think about the old days,
29:54Providence, to me, was the greatest two years of my life.
29:58It was the saddest two years as well.
30:02In the 1986-87 season,
30:04led by Rick on the sidelines
30:06and Billy Donovan on the court,
30:08were rising to national prominence.
30:10The Bettino family was engaged in a private struggle
30:13to save the life of their infant son.
30:17Our son, Daniel, was born with a congenital hole in his heart.
30:22And my wife, I admired her so much back then
30:26because every day, seven days a week during that period,
30:29for like five and a half months,
30:32she would drive anywhere from a 50-minute drive
30:35to an hour and a half, depending on traffic,
30:37to Children's Hospital in Boston
30:40to feed him two or three times.
30:43And then would head home after his evening feeding
30:46and then head back in the morning the next day.
30:50We knew that that was something
30:52that he and Mrs. Bettino were dealing with.
30:54He was going back and forth from practice to Boston.
30:57Then he'd come back.
30:58Lewis for three! Yes!
31:00But at the same time...
31:02Are you kidding? Oh, what a move!
31:04We were playing great.
31:05And here was this bad-news-bad Cinderella story.
31:09This team really overachieving.
31:12Donovan, three-pointer.
31:14We went to the Big East tournament.
31:16We got to the semifinals.
31:18It'll be Georgetown and Syracuse.
31:20We ended up losing to Georgetown.
31:23But because of all the success during the season,
31:26we knew that we were going to play in the NCAA tournament.
31:29And I think maybe it had been 10 or 12 years
31:31since Providence had been in the NCAA tournament,
31:33so everybody was really excited about it.
31:36If the Storm are to make the NCAA tournament this season,
31:40a win over Rick's former team at Providence
31:43could be a crucial early step
31:45on their journey.
31:48Tonight, we've got Big East basketball for you.
31:52St. John's, their first real road test
31:54against the Friars of Providence in the mighty Big East.
31:59Tonight's game is as big as at UConn,
32:03because you have to win these games
32:05to make the NCAA tournament.
32:07It's time to get back in the top 25.
32:10It is. It's time to get back.
32:12Now, we were there once.
32:15Let's get back and not lose it again
32:17for the rest of the season.
32:18You know what a great game looks like
32:20offensively and defensively.
32:22Get after these guys.
32:23They're going to take more threes.
32:24They're going to kill the glass.
32:26Not on this night.
32:27The physicality they play, not on this night.
32:29This is our night. Let's go.
32:36We always talk about two halves, man.
32:37Start on defense.
32:38Start on defense.
32:39Four minutes at a time, y'all.
32:41Let's set a time early.
32:42Energy crew, energy crew.
32:44Energy on three. One, two, three.
32:46Energy. Let's go.
32:53Beautiful pass.
32:54Lewis, they want him to see the floor more.
32:57And that handoff to Ejiofor was the thing of beauty.
33:03Just Pierre.
33:05He's got eight.
33:06Providence by one.
33:10Those deflections that Providence
33:12is forcing have really aided them.
33:15Joseph, one more time.
33:17Up and under.
33:19Timeout.
33:21Only one.
33:22She's hustling.
33:23She's not.
33:24The rest of you are standing.
33:27How do you open up the floor
33:29after four passes?
33:31Then you pick up the pick and roll.
33:33You're playing into their hands.
33:35Everybody's got to stop playing smart.
33:38It's not that you're not playing hard.
33:40You're not playing intelligent basketball.
33:42There you go.
33:43Arun say, hello.
33:45How do you do?
33:57Wow.
34:04Joseph.
34:05High off the window pane.
34:07Providence is getting into the
34:10Providence is getting into St. John's head offensively.
34:15Floyd's up against the clock.
34:17Great defense by St. John's to close it out.
34:23Providence though,
34:24a scintillating 63% from the floor.
34:28Need some adjustments in red.
34:31Don't tell me it's the first time you've played on the road
34:33and listened to a crowd.
34:35Dig in and be a basketball player.
34:38Dig in.
34:41Every time you miss a shot,
34:42your game deflates.
34:44We don't care about your missed shots.
34:46Play defense.
34:52Be right back in the game.
34:54Could be a lot,
34:55but this team will give you the game.
34:57You guys keep blowing opportunity upon opportunity
35:00upon opportunity.
35:02You're like children with bad things happening.
35:05Instead of digging in and being tougher,
35:07you wilt.
35:09Where is your toughness?
35:11Where have you guys been raised
35:13that you're so weak mentally
35:15that you just give up when something doesn't go right for you?
35:18Don't you know what adversity is all about?
35:21That's the game of life.
35:23Not the game of basketball.
35:25You don't get down when things go wrong.
35:28You dig in and get tougher.
35:30Your whole life's going to be adversity.
35:32Learn how to deal with it.
35:35Rick is no stranger to adversity off the court,
35:38and while he was at Providence,
35:40he went through his toughest battle.
35:43After we lost to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament,
35:47we got on a bus to go to Providence.
35:52It was Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament,
35:55and we were busing back to Rhode Island.
35:57Mrs. Pitino was on the bus,
35:59and we had set up that we were all going to get together
36:02and just kind of enjoy the selection show.
36:05And right as we were crossing the Rhode Island line,
36:08a policeman stopped us.
36:12We kind of pulled off into like a vacant rest area,
36:15and it was just a pay phone out there.
36:17There really wasn't much out there,
36:19and then the police officer, I think, asked for Coach Pitino.
36:23There were no cell phones back then,
36:25and at first I thought it was something good
36:27that Dave Gavitt was, I think, the chair of the NCAA committee,
36:31and he was tipping us off of who we were going to play
36:34because that was Selection Sunday.
36:36Joanne, we got out, and now I started,
36:39by the trooper's face, I could just tell something was wrong.
36:44And when I called this number, it was the hospital number,
36:47and I was supposed to ask for Joe Flynn.
36:50I asked for Joe Flynn, and he broke the news that Daniel passed.
36:55I'll never forget the anguish and the cry
37:04that I heard that day from Mrs. Pitino.
37:07And, man, it was a long time ago,
37:12but I can remember it vividly.
37:16The funeral was...
37:19torture would be a kind word,
37:22there were 12 priests on the altar at Providence College
37:25that did everything to help us believe in our faith.
37:31The players were magnificent,
37:33because when we were on the plane going to the first round,
37:37I sat between Billy Donovan and I think it was Del Rey.
37:42It was really an awkward situation,
37:44because, you know, what do you say to somebody who's your coach
37:48who just lost a child?
37:50You know, how do you even express that?
37:52I said, guys, you don't have to be this quiet.
37:55And they said, well, Coach, we just don't know what to say.
37:58We just don't know what to say, and we don't know what to do.
38:01And I said to them, just give me everything you have,
38:05get my mind distracted,
38:07and let's see if we can go as far as we can.
38:10And from that point on, it broke the ice,
38:12and people started acting normal again.
38:16When you went back to the hotel room, you cried.
38:19When you got between the lines, it distracted you.
38:23And that's what sports really should be.
38:26It should be a distraction,
38:28a meaningful distraction to the tough game of life.
38:38I think the 80s were the golden days of college basketball
38:41when we had all these Cinderella stories
38:44to help make the tournament so popular.
38:46So in 87, Providence was that team.
38:49Led by a young and privately grieving head coach,
38:52Providence makes a magical run,
38:55upsetting their rival and perennial Big East powerhouse,
38:58Georgetown, along the way.
39:03There's no one who ever did a better job in a single season
39:07than Rick Pitino did with the 1986-87 Friars.
39:10And how he handled that week,
39:13the next week, or the next 30 years,
39:16I have no idea.
39:20Now, we're only down 13 points.
39:22You can't make it up with one possession.
39:25Possession by possession, you cut it to 9,
39:28you cut it to 8, you cut it to 6, you get back in the game.
39:31It's easy to get back in this game with these people.
39:34Stop the 3, stop the straight-line drives,
39:37and start being men, not boys.
39:39Start being men out there.
39:41You lose, you lose with pride.
39:43You win, you win with pride.
39:45Don't play like that.
39:47All right, let's get a win.
39:52St. John's is a second-half team, Mike.
39:54They shoot 50% from the field in all their second halves,
39:57so this Johnny-Steven is not going away.
40:01Whoa!
40:03Edger, 4, with edge in his slam.
40:07And one cover.
40:09And one cover. Wow.
40:13Wiltshire, as you advertised,
40:15he's going to need to make some of those.
40:18Great pass.
40:20Pierre to Bonk with a dunk.
40:24Blob, beautiful.
40:26That's just a thing of beauty.
40:32The lead back down to 5.
40:35Oh, look at that big boy.
40:37No!
40:39Yeah, I think Qadari got the memo.
40:41He's all smiles after that one.
40:43It's a one-possession game.
40:49Shot clock at 5. There's a steal.
40:52Richmond, Lewis, high rising, and one.
40:58Three-point game.
41:0124 seconds left.
41:03Joseph.
41:05Nice one!
41:07We're tied at 70.
41:13Crowd will tell you the story here at the end.
41:21Edger, 4, at the buzzer.
41:24St. John's wins.
41:26St. John's.
41:36And St. John's gets a huge road win.
41:38I'm going to tell you, that's an NCAA tournament team,
41:41in my mind, if they stay healthy.
41:43Yeah!
41:54You didn't have it tonight for the foul line.
41:56You didn't have it in the first half.
41:57The second half, they made one lucky three,
41:59and you locked them down.
42:00I'm so proud of you.
42:05Merry Christmas.
42:07Family on three. One, two, three.
42:09Family.
42:11Man, it feels great.
42:13God was with us today, I guess,
42:14and I was able to sink a shot to win the game for my team,
42:17and now we go home and enjoy Christmas with our family,
42:20so everybody's happy.
42:28He asked me, hey, Dad, what do you want for Christmas?
42:30I was like, I just need a double-double and a win, man.
42:33And he did it. I love you, man.
42:36Can I have a picture, please?
42:38Yeah.
42:39I'm proud of you.
42:40I'm proud of them because they didn't have it.
42:42Young people today, when they're missing shots,
42:44missing free throws,
42:46the basketball deflates, and they get down,
42:49and it's all we talk about, don't get down, win the game.
42:52You know, this is a house where I always say
42:55Billy Donovan was the hardest worker
42:57I've ever coached in my lifetime.
42:59Zuby is probably second on the list.
43:02He was having a bad night, missing free throws,
43:04and I said, please don't get down, just be Zuby,
43:07and he was, and this was a big win for us.
43:11Every single place teaches you something
43:13that sticks with you, something different.
43:15Hey, what's up?
43:17Providence always taught me,
43:19regardless of the talent, regardless of where you're at,
43:24to never stop dreaming.
43:26I still, to this day, dream that anything's possible.
43:30Coming up next time...
43:32A lot of guys, they've just been doing their own thing,
43:35just immaturity, not being professional.
43:38That's some common sense.
43:40We all here for one another.
43:41If he would have made it and went in,
43:43he would have been nationally ridiculed.
43:45It lacks common sense to me.
43:47Really was not a good look, to be honest.