In a postgame press conference following St. John's crushing 68-62 loss to Seton Hall, coach Rick Pitino unleashed a tirade criticizing his team's lack of talent and toughness. Pitino, 71, expressed disappointment with his experience coaching the team, highlighting issues such as the players' athleticism, defensive capabilities, and physical strength. The graduate transfer players were specifically called out for their shortcomings, with Pitino emphasizing the need for improvement in various areas.

Pitino's frustrations seemed to stem from the team's inability to maintain leads and play solid defense, as evident in their recent string of losses. Despite efforts to address physical conditioning and speed, Pitino found the team's performance lacking, particularly in terms of drawing fouls and offensive rebounding. The coach made it clear that the team's struggles were not reflective of St. John's as a whole, but rather his own disappointment with the players he had recruited.

Having taken on the coaching role last year and implementing significant changes to the roster, Pitino acknowledged the mismatch between his coaching style and the recruited players' skill sets. Despite efforts to instill characteristics like speed, quickness, fundamentals, strength, and toughness, Pitino found the team falling short of his expectations. As the regular season enters its final stretch, Pitino's frustrations with his team's performance have intensified, raising questions about the future of the St. John's basketball program under his leadership.