Will Pitino’s Hire Affect St. John’s Students Financially?

Rick Pitino takes questions from media during his introductory press conference as head coach of St. John's mens basketball. [Photo/ Corey Sipkin (AP)]

St. John’s University agreed to a six-year deal with Rick Pitino to become their head men’s basketball coach last Monday. The deal is reportedly in the vicinity of $20 million, per CBS Sports. The multimillion-dollar agreement will leave a tough dent in the school’s finances, but is that end of it?

In his introductory press conference last Tuesday, Pitino said, “Father Shanley’s going to change the athletic facilities. They’ll be some of the best in the Big East. He’s a very creative man.” Father Shanley is St. John’s president who is responsible for Pitino’s decision to join the school. Pitino added, “My vision is to play every game at Madison Square Garden conference-wise. It has to be played in a major facility ‘cause you’re going to need it. Carnesecca Arena will not be big enough for the brand of basketball that we’re going to build.”

Pitino’s comments suggest that changes to current basketball and other athletic facilities are going to undergo renovations in the near future. Pitino said, “I expect to rebuild in months not years.” He referenced this to rebuilding the team and the school’s brand.

The former head coach of Iona University men’s basketball is known for having a list of requirements to match his style of coaching and training. In a 2009 interview with NJ.com, Pitino spoke on Seton Hall University’s and Rutgers University’s lack of facility quality. “Their facilities have to get upgraded to the rest of us. When you build a program, you not only build it by winning on the court, you have to build the infrastructure.” In the following season, his former gig at Louisville University was going to be on display in their new $252 million arena.

St. John’s isn’t expected to permanently get rid of Carnesecca Arena but Pitino would like to see a renovation to accommodate the number of fans that are going to start attending games. Besides the arena, gyms and weight rooms are on his list of improvements. With these factors in mind, how sure is it that St. John’s students will be expected to pay a portion of it through their tuition?

In 2009, St. John’s unveiled the $77 million D’Angelo Center which was majorly funded by alumni Peter and Margaret D’Angelo. In the 2022-23 academic year, the university saw a four percent increase in tuition due to the costs of building the Health and Science Center, according to The Torch. The school’s history of raising tuition prices has some students left wondering what the hiring of Pitino will change.

Cid Parejas, a sophomore student majoring in biology at St. John’s, is anxious to see his semester bills for the remainder of his bachelor’s degree in Queens. “I don’t understand how, at the end of the day, it is on us to pay for it. I have never gone to a basketball game and I probably never will. The fact that I might have to pay for facilities that I won’t even use is crazy.”

It is unknown how much money the university will bring in after the coach’s hire with marketing, ticket sales, advertising, etc. The number may be high enough to match the costs of the renovations but Parejas is still irked by the move. “I highly doubt I will ever meet Rick Pitino and I doubt that he would care to meet me. Even though the sports world is going crazy, my views on the team are the same. I don’t care for the move and the minute I see my tuition rise, I will reconsider going for my master’s here or even finishing my bachelor’s.”