St. John's Extends Pitino Contract Through 2029-30

St. John's University extended the contract of men's basketball coach Rick Pitino on Sunday, securing the Hall of Famer through the 2029-30 season with a substantial pay increase that positions him as the second-highest paid coach in the Big East, trailing only Connecticut's Dan Hurley.

The agreement comes days after the Red Storm's 80-75 loss to top-ranked Duke in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 on Friday in Newark, New Jersey, ending a 30-7 season that marked one of the program's most successful runs in decades. St. John's advanced by defeating Northern Iowa and Kansas earlier in the East Region, reaching the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 1999. Under Pitino, now in his third year at the Queens school, the team captured back-to-back Big East regular-season and conference tournament titles, a feat no program in the league had achieved before. The Red Storm peaked at No. 5 in national rankings and won at least 20 games each season, including 31 victories the prior year.

Athletic director Ed Kull emphasized the university's commitment in a statement. "We're thrilled that Coach Pitino has signed a new agreement to remain at St. John's, a deal that will...