Two thieves made off with a ceremonial sword and a bullhorn from the office of St. John’s University Coach Rick Pitino, according to a spokesperson for the Catholic institution in Queens, New York City.
Brian Browne, the university spokesperson, reported that the theft occurred on Tuesday night just before 8 p.m. at the athletics department offices. These offices are situated on the floors above Carnesecca Arena, the home court for Pitino’s Red Storm team.
Browne stated that the police investigation is ongoing, and it’s still uncertain whether other items were stolen from Pitino’s office or other areas of the building.
The police disclosed in a statement that the two suspects gained entry “without authorization” and stole several items before fleeing westbound on a moped down Union Turnpike. The department refrained from providing further details but did release surveillance footage showing the suspects walking down a hallway, one holding the stolen sword and the other carrying the bullhorn.
Rick Pitino, a native New Yorker raised on Long Island, was brought on as head coach for St. John’s last year. The university hired him in hopes of revitalizing its once-celebrated Big East program, which peaked in the 1980s but has struggled with mediocrity for over twenty years.
Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach who led teams to NCAA championships at Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013. However, the title at Louisville was later vacated due to NCAA violations. Another NCAA case, stemming from an FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting, resulted in Pitino’s firing from Louisville in 2017, although he was eventually exonerated by the NCAA.
Before taking the helm at St. John’s, the 71-year-old had a three-season stint coaching at Iona, a small Catholic college in New Rochelle, just north of New York City. Pitino’s extensive coaching career also includes positions as head coach for the NBA’s New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, as well as collegiate coaching roles at Boston University in Massachusetts, Providence College in Rhode Island, and a tenure with Panathinaikos, a professional team in Athens, Greece.
