Rick Pitino Refuses To Back Down After Verbally Destroying His Roster

St. John's basketball coach Rick Pitino has no regrets about verbally hammering his roster following a loss to Seton Hall.

Pitino made some waves over the weekend when he absolutely unloaded on his players following the loss, and he didn't hold back.

"We are so unathletic that we can't guard anybody without fouling. For me, I've always enjoyed the first year, and I'm not gonna lie to you: This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime. This has been so disappointing…Look, Joel's [Soriano] slow laterally, he's not fast on the court. Chris Ledlum is slow laterally, Sean Conway's slow laterally. Brady's physically weak, Drissa is slow laterally," the legendary coach said following the 68-62 loss. 

Now, the St. John's coach is making it clear he has no intention of walking back his comments. In fact, he's claiming he didn't even blow his lid.

Rick Pitino doesn't walk back comments after losing to Seton Hall.

A lot of coaches sometimes say things in the heat of the moment and then walk them back. That's not Pitino's style. He's known for being an intense guy, and he wants everyone to know he didn't do anything wrong. 

"I truly wasn’t ripping anybody. I was pointing out exactly—in a monotone voice—why we lost. … I am not always calm and certainly not when I rip someone. … I sometimes want my players to hear my words and read my words. That was my intention," Pitino told Newsday Monday, according to Sports Illustrated.

Rick Pitino doesn't regret shredding his players. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

This is some excellent spin from Pitino. In fact, this is grade-A spin from the St. John's coach. He literally said that he didn't rip anybody. Let's go back to the transcript. What did he say after the loss?

"Look, Joel's [Soriano] slow laterally, he's not fast on the court. Chris Ledlum is slow laterally, Sean Conway's slow laterally. Brady's physically weak, Drissa is slow laterally."

Yeah, definitely not ripping or criticizing anyone. It's not like Pitino name dropped multiple players during his postgame comments. Granted, he might not have been yelling or losing his temper, but that hardly means he wasn't criticizing people.

Rick Pitino says he didn't rip his players after losing to Seton Hall. (Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)

Never change, Rick. Never change. This is the attitude and spin fans love to see. Let me know your thoughts on Pitino at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.