Rick Pitino’s return to the Huge East means the entourage comes with him, and the entourage is a visit. It’s a forged of characters from all over, with every kind of backgrounds and occupations, individuals who embraced Pitino and he returned the love. They’re a Runyonesque bunch that has adopted the Corridor of Fame basketball coach for many years—adopted him to the racetrack, the golf course and basketball arenas throughout.
Which brings us to a gentleman named Tom O’Grady holding court docket with the media in a Madison Sq. Backyard hallway Friday night time through the Huge East event. He’s within the entourage—a New York native now dwelling in Louisville, a lifetime St. John’s Pink Storm fan who turned a Louisville Cardinals fan after shifting there 20 years in the past, when Pitino was the coach. O’Grady is now driving excessive with the union of his favourite coach and favourite faculty.
Head shaved and resplendent in a vivid crimson sport coat, the diminutive, spitfire businessman someway was a part of a verbal firefight that included two bang-bang technical fouls for Pitino, the St. John’s coach, and Dan Hurley, the Connecticut Huskies’ boss. UConn gained a high-level offensive recreation, 95–90, advancing to the Huge East title recreation Saturday, however the main speaking level was what went down late within the first half.
It was a Eighties throwback scene—the sort of flamable aggressive flare-up that made the Huge East the Huge East within the days of John Thompson, Jim Boeheim, Rollie Massimino and, sure, an early model of Pitino when he was teaching the Windfall Friars. And this scene included an unlikely co-conspirator.
Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports activities
The dustup began on the 8:16 mark of the primary half, when St. John’s large man Joel Soriano was whistled for his second foul. “Bulls—!” Pitino barked at official James Breeding. That led to a handy guide a rough T, which Pitino acknowledged later he needed to get. (For all of Pitino’s peripatetic sideline antics, he’s far much less of a ref baiter than many in his career.)
O’Grady, sitting courtside and hardly conserving a low profile within the crimson coat, stood up and voiced his displeasure to the officers. Hurley’s father, legendary former highschool coach Bob Hurley, stood up from his courtside seat and seemed like he is perhaps prepared for some motion as properly.
Dan Hurley stepped to close midcourt—properly out of the teaching field. That’s the most-abused restriction in school basketball, however O’Grady seized the chance to level out Hurley’s trespass to the officers.
“He’s out of the teaching field!” O’Grady says he knowledgeable the refs.
Hurley then addressed O’Grady and requested officers that he be thrown out of the world. On the printed, Hurley might be heard saying that O’Grady was “screaming in my face. Get him out of right here.” Hurley acquired his personal T from Breeding.
[ 2024 March Madness: Latest News & Analysis ]
“Clearly, the place was in a frenzy when [Pitino] acquired his [technical],” Hurley mentioned. “After which there was this man—a brief man in a crimson blazer that was on the court docket yelling on the refs, after which he began yelling at me, you recognize, and shifting in my path. So I used to be simply sort of stating to James that he was behaving worse than Coach Pitino. … It was numerous expletives.”
O’Grady’s model of occasions, which was relayed inside earshot of Pitino: “I mentioned nothing. All I mentioned is that he’s out of the teaching field, that’s it.”
Pitino: “Oh, you bought [the technical] for him?”
O’Grady: “Sure.”
Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley simply T'd up in Madison Sq. GardenHurley and Pitino screaming at one another pic.twitter.com/AbD6U1OOBg
— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) March 15, 2024
Pitino jokingly declared that his pal “has deep psychological issues with officers” which have at instances led to his comp seats at street video games being moved additional away from the court docket. (There was a recreation at North Carolina through the Louisville years that didn’t go properly with O’Grady in vary of screaming on the stripes.) Others within the entourage mentioned that giving O’Grady a courtside seat for this recreation towards the No. 1 Huskies was a threat.
Lo and behold, O’Grady turned a part of the story. By halftime, a cadre of MSG safety guards had descended in entrance of O’Grady, Pitino relations and different entourage members. Outstanding St. John’s booster Mike Repole mentioned he was chastised “for looking at a Gen-Z safety guard.” Huge East directors gathered within the space as properly.
There was dialogue of what to do with O’Grady, who left the decrease enviornment space for halftime however finally was not eliminated. He was again in his seat across the 15-minute mark of the second half. After asking for O’Grady to be tossed, Hurley—who has had points prior to now with followers—later took credit score for him being allowed to remain.
“I wasn’t anticipating [the scene] from somebody sitting courtside,” Hurley mentioned later. “I initially was all for his elimination. As a result of he acquired me a technical, and that was most unsettling for me. However then I pivoted. I checked out my spouse—it was like emotional intelligence and the superstition kicked in. I believed I had an opportunity of successful if I saved him—with a number of ushers and James Breeding.
“However then I additionally went into halftime and did a sort of two-to-three-minute reset away from the workers. I did a fast meditation on the Calm app.”
Dan Hurley meditating at halftime of a Huge East event recreation is certainly one thing that was not on the Bingo card.
However when Hurley was knowledgeable that O’Grady mentioned he didn’t direct any feedback on the UConn coach, he laughed loudly. “Yeah, all proper, all proper,” Hurley mentioned. “That man, he seems to be like a straight shooter.”
Perceive, the alpha male sparring between Pitino (two nationwide championship rings) and Hurley (one and counting) has been ongoing this season. Pitino mentioned he needs to maneuver the house recreation towards UConn subsequent 12 months to Carnesecca Enviornment, the small campus venue, as a substitute of Madison Sq. Backyard, in what was perceived as a method of conserving Huskies followers out. Hurley responded by saying, “There are packages who haven’t been to a Closing 4, or haven’t been to the NCAA event in 20 years, so there’s clearly numerous punching up.”
That led St. John’s assistant Steve Masiello to say on X (previously Twitter): “I believe Coach Pitino stopped punching up after his fifth Closing 4, or was it his sixth? no wait. I believe it was after his seventh!”
I believe Coach Pitino stopped punching up after his fifth Closing 4, or was it his sixth ? no wait I believe it was after his seventh !
— Stephen Masiello (@steve_masiello) January 2, 2024
However in the long run Friday night time, everybody made peace with one another on an evening that benefited each groups. UConn continued its push for its first Huge East tourney title since 2011, the one gap in this system’s résumé since Hurley arrived. St. John’s was spectacular in defeat, including to its at-large NCAA event résumé.
“They’re a machine,” Pitino mentioned of UConn.
“They’re clearly an NCAA event group,” Hurley mentioned of St. John’s.
“Dan Hurley’s an incredible basketball coach,” O’Grady mentioned. “I acquired no downside with Dan Hurley, none. He misplaced his mood, that’s it. Typically all of us lose our tempers.”
The Huge East’s heyday was constructed on livid competitors between nice gamers and sensible—however barely unhinged—coaches who created zesty rivalries. With Rick Pitino’s return and Dan Hurley on the prime of his recreation, the convention is getting some spice again. The conflict of egos and massive personalities is actual and spectacular, with an entourage alongside for the experience.
