Greg McDermott knows why he’s Rick Pitino’s favorite coach
Creighton is coming off an embarrassing performance, falling to St. John’s 90-73. As Lefteris Liotopoulos dominated the game for the Red StormCreighton could find no answers. After the game, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino praised Creighton coach Greg McDermott, calling McDermott one of his favorites. McDermott had the perfect answer, knowing exactly why he was the favorite.
“After you kick someone’s tail, you’re usually their favorite coach,” McDemott answered after the gameaccording to Hurrdat Sports.
St. John’s dominated the game. Creighton had a slim lead with nine and a half minutes to play in the first half. A red storm would fly from there. They led by 18 at the end of the half, and then they would get a 17 point difference.
“You know, he’s been doing it for a long time. He’s a Hall of Fame coach and he’s great for the Big East. I think St. John’s relevance has done wonders for our conference. You know I have a lot of respect for him, I just don’t like losing to him,” McDermott continued, praising Pitino and the loss.
This isn’t a one-sided series, as much as it made it sound with the way McDermott was talking. The two teams split their two games in the 2024-25 season. St. John’s won in February 79-73, but before that, on New Year’s Eve 2024, Creighton won at home 57-56. McDermott was actually on the winning end between the two in Pitino’s first season at St. John’s, as Creighton won at home, 66-65, in January 2024. St. John’s would get an 80-66 victory later that season.
Creighton and Pitino’s beloved coach will return to the floor Wednesday night against Georgetown at home. They also get another shot at St. John’s on February 21 on the road.
2026-01-11 23:28:00
