Pitino Secures 900th Win Over Son's Xavier Team

St. John's University men's basketball coach Rick Pitino secured his 900th career victory on Saturday, guiding the Red Storm to an 88-83 comeback win over Xavier in Cincinnati, a milestone that came at the expense of his son, Richard Pitino, in his first season leading the Musketeers.

The Red Storm trailed by 16 points in the second half before outscoring Xavier 51-34 over the final 20 minutes to clinch the victory. Junior guard Dylan Darling scored all 11 of his points after halftime, including a crucial 3-pointer with 53.2 seconds remaining that gave St. John's the lead for good. Forward Dillon Mitchell added 17 points and seven rebounds for the winners, who improved to 15-5 overall and 8-1 in the Big East, positioning them one game behind conference leader UConn. Xavier fell to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in the league.

For the 73-year-old Pitino, the win marked a personal and professional highlight after 38 seasons and 50 years in coaching. His overall record stands at 900-316, though the NCAA recognizes only 777 victories following the vacating of 123 wins from his time at Louisville due to recruiting violations. Pitino became the fourth active Division I men's coach to reach 900...