Named AP Co-Coach of the Year alongside Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino spoke about Kentucky’s Mark Pope during a press conference at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 4, 2025.

While guiding St. John’s to both Big East regular season and tournament titles, Rick Pitino still kept close tabs on Mark Pope throughout the year.

“I always keep up with my former players, and I was following them closely this season and cheering them on,” Pitino said Friday at the event where he was named Associated Press co-coach of the year with Auburn’s Bruce Pearl. “Mark did a tremendous job with a tough schedule. I loved how his team played. The offense was impressive, the ball movement and unselfishness stood out.”

“I always believed he’d be a great coach. I didn’t see it at BYU, though. It was when I watched him build the Utah Valley program that I realized Mark had the tools. You can’t always tell which players will coach well, but that’s when I knew. Kentucky made the right choice. Mark’s going to be amazing for years — he’s humble, thoughtful, and has a brilliant offensive mind.”

Kentucky ended the season 24-12 under Pope, who captained Pitino’s 1996 championship squad at UK. Though No. 2 seed St. John’s was defeated by John Calipari’s Arkansas team in the NCAA Tournament’s second round, Kentucky fell to Tennessee in the Midwest regional semifinal last week.

This marks the first time in the award’s history that the AP Coach of the Year voting resulted in a tie.

It’s also Pitino’s first time winning the AP award, even though he has captured national titles with Kentucky and Louisville (2013) and led six different schools to NCAA Tournament berths. He joked that he assumed he had already won it, but his wife Joanne corrected him. “She said that was the Wooden Award,” Pitino said.

St. John’s wrapped up the season with a 31-5 record after finishing 18-15 and 20-13 in Pitino’s first two years. The Red Storm ranked fifth in the final AP poll before the tournament.

Pearl becomes Auburn’s second coach to win the award, joining Cliff Ellis, who earned the honor in 1999. The Tigers spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the AP rankings and entered the NCAA Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed. Auburn faces another SEC squad in Saturday’s first Final Four game at the Alamodome, followed by Duke vs. Houston.

Pearl said he was proud to share the recognition with Pitino.

“Earning Coach Pitino’s respect might be the best thing I’ve done as a coach. I truly mean that,” the Auburn coach said.