Rick Pitino faced off with his son Richard on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, and after St. John's was winning late in the game, the crowd started chanting, "Who's your daddy."
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The St. John’s crowd is chanting “WHO’S YOUR DADDY” at Richard Pitino and Rick is imploring them to stop pic.twitter.com/CG9RZ7D7IJ
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 17, 2024
The veteran collegiate basketball coach didn't appear to like the crowd taunting his son, as he was seen trying to quiet them down.
"I don't get upset at the crowd," Rick Pitino said. "I just wish they would stop saying that."
St. John's ended up winning 85-71, but after the game the 32-year veteran coach gave props to New Mexico and his son.
🚨 RICK PITINO WINS THE FAMILY DUEL 🚨@StJohnsBBall defeats @UNMLoboMBB in the Garden 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/8b5jZZrbfc
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 17, 2024
"OK, he's my son so I'm going to brag on him," Pitino said. "He is a great young coach. Great young coach. His offensive mind is brilliant. He puts you in situations that really hurt you defensively."
He went on to give more praise to his son, "He's got a great team this year. He does it with all new players, different players. He's one of the bright young offensive minds in the game today. So, he's a lot different than me. He handles losing much better than me."
To point out, this was not the first time that the hall-of-fame coach faced his son, as he matched up with him twice when he was at Louisville and won. Nevertheless, Richard actually beat his dad during their previous matchup, when Rick was at Iona. That is, 72-year-old Pitino is now 3-1 vs. his son.
"So much fun to be a part of," said the 42-year-old Pitino after the game. "Although we didn't win, I'm very, very grateful that my dad agreed to do it, and I'm grateful that my players were able to experience something like this."
Family first 🫶
Rick and Richard Pitino embrace before coaching against each other in MSG 🙌
(via @StJohnsBBall) pic.twitter.com/ntj4pKgxLM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 17, 2024
Rick Pitino spoke on his family members choosing sides, by stating that his daughter, Jacqueline, and other son, Ryan, sat behind the St. John's bench.
However, Pitino mentioned that his wife, chose to root for New Mexico, as he said Joanne told their son, "'You're my blood. He's not..."
"So, it shows you how much she loves me and how much she loves Richard," Pitino jokingly said.
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