The Johnnies are taking their ball and going home.
After being left out of the 2024 March Madness bracket, St. John’s announced they will not be participating in the NIT either.
The decision was announced on Selection Sunday shortly after it was revealed that the Red Storm would not be in the NCAA Tournament this spring after falling to capture the Big East crown over the weekend and a slew of bubble teams fared better than expected.
“First and foremost, we have great respect for the National Invitation Tournament and St. John’s storied history in the event,” head coach Rick Pitino said in a statement. “After thorough consideration of all that goes into postseason participation, we believe at this time it is best for our team and basketball program to prepare for next season. We remain focused on building a championship-level basketball program here at St. John’s. I would like to thank all our fans for their wonderful support this past season and look forward to the bright future ahead for St. John’s Basketball.”
The 2023-24 season marked Pitino’s first at the helm of the men’s basketball program and saw St. John’s go 11-9 in the Big East and finish 20-13 overall.
While it had been an up-and-down season for St. John’s they had gone on a bit of a run toward the end of the year with six straight wins and giving the defending national champs, UConn a run for their money in the Big East Tournament semifinals.
The Red Storm had hoped to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 and try to pull off a win in the Big Dance for the first time in nearly 25 years.
There had been plenty of attention and pressure on St. John’s since Pitino accepted the head coaching position last March as the program looked to shift gears after several years with Mike Anderson as the head coach.
Pitino brought in a nearly entirely new roster for the 2023-24 season with only a select few returning including Joel Soriano.