NEW YORK — Two thieves swiped a ceremonial sword and a bullhorn from the workplace of St. John’s basketball coach Rick Pitino, a spokesperson for the Catholic establishment within the New York Metropolis borough of Queens mentioned Thursday.
Brian Browne mentioned the theft occurred Tuesday evening shortly earlier than 8 p.m. on the athletic division places of work, that are positioned within the flooring above the hardwood at Carnesecca Area, the place the Purple Storm play.
He mentioned the police investigation is ongoing, and it’s not instantly clear if different gadgets had been stolen from the Corridor of Fame coach’s workplace or different elements of the constructing.
Pitino initially posted to social media that he was “actually upset” that an costly bottle of wine was additionally lacking from his workplace, however he later posted that he was simply joking.
Police mentioned in a press release that the 2 males someway gained entry “with out authorization” and eliminated various gadgets earlier than fleeing on a moped heading westbound on Union Turnpike.
The division declined to elaborate. Nevertheless it additionally launched surveillance footage Thursday displaying the 2 males strolling down a hallway within the constructing, with one carrying the stolen sword and the opposite holding the bullhorn.
Born in New York and raised on Lengthy Island, Pitino was employed by St. John’s final yr with the hopes of restoring a as soon as storied Massive East program that had its heyday within the Nineteen Eighties however has been mired in mediocrity for greater than twenty years.
The Corridor of Fame coach received NCAA championships at Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013, however the title at Louisville was vacated for NCAA violations,
One other NCAA case associated to the FBI’s investigation into corruption in faculty basketball recruiting led to Pitino being fired by Louisville in 2017, although the NCAA finally exonerated Pitino.
Earlier than arriving at St. John’s, the 71-year-old coached three seasons at Iona, simply north of New York Metropolis.
Pitino has additionally been head coach for the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, Boston College, Windfall School and Panathinaikos, knowledgeable group in Athens.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
