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It was a long road back to the Power 5, but Rick Pitino is already making the most of his 2nd chance.
After the scandal that led to the end of his time at Louisville, Pitino made a stop in Greece before he returned to college basketball.
In that return, Pitino became the head coach at Iona, taking them to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 3 years.
That success brought him back to the Big East and this time it’s as the head coach of St John’s.
He has wasted no time turning his new program around.
Pitino has already begun reshaping the St John’s basketball program, putting together one of the nation’s top transfer classes in his first offseason with the team.
Now he has added another big name to that class.
According to the New York Post’s Zach Braziller former Harvard star Chris Ledlum is transferring to St John’s
BREAKING: St. John’s has landed Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum, he tells @nypostsports. All-Ivy League first team selection is a major addition. “I’m blessed to be in this position to be a part of getting St. John’s back to what it once was.” https://t.co/CqD8VwqKhv #sjubb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) July 19, 2023
Chris Ledlum was a standout in the Ivy League last season. In his 3rd year playing for Harvard, he averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game on his way to being selected for the All-Ivy League First Team.
Now he’ll head to a St John’s team that already picked up quite a few scoring threats this offseason and will give them another.
Last season, the Red Storm were a sub-.500 team in the Big East and were only able to earn the 8th spot in the conference tournament.
Now they look like they could be one of the best teams the Big East has to offer next season.
When St John’s hired Rick Pitino, the expectations were high. He already looks like he’s going to live up to them.