Bruce Pearl, Rick Pitino Share AP Coach of the Year Honors

Bruce Pearl turned around Auburn to the basketball school and may have its best team. Rick Pitino did what he can do best St. John’sannounces a rapid turnover.

Their achievements this season led to the first link in the 58 -year history of the Associated Press Men’s College Basketball Coach of the Year.

Pearl and Pitino each received 20 votes in the vote on Friday from the National Media panel, which selects the AP TOP 25 during the season. LouisvillePat Kelsey received eight votes and DukeJon Scheyer got five. Dennis Gates (Missouri) and Tom Izzo (Michigan) Each received three and Drake‘with Ben McCollum and UC San DiegoEric Olen got every voice.

Pitino is the first of St. John’s, who was named AP Coach of the Year and sixth in Big East history. MarquetteShaka Smart won the prize two years ago.

When Pitino was hired in 2023, the red storm was tightened in average. St. Since 2019, John’s has not been at the NCAA tournament and since the late 90s of the 20th century, March Madness trips were unique.

Pitino led Red Storm for 20 victories in his first season and this year back to national importance. St. John’s won the title of regular Big East season by riding 18-2 and since 2000 he won his first Big East Tournament tournament.

The red storm corresponded to the school record with 31 wins-markers set in the 80s under Lou Carnesecca-A had its highest rating in the AP TOP 25 in 34 years by reaching No. 5 in the final survey of the regular season. St. John’s was seed no. 2 in the NCAA tournament and opened with victory Omha before losing Arcans In the second round.

The rapid success of Pitino follows the pattern he set up in previous stops Boston University, Providence, KentuckyLouisville and Iona. He is the first coach to lead six NCAA programs.

“I have been blessed for a long time, 50 years of coaching,” Pitino said. “Will it stop, so why don’t you have an explosion? Why not take advantage of it? Laugh, have fun, get great experiences.”

Pearl certainly has been doing this since taking over in Auburn in 2015.

The Tigers have not been at the NCAA tournament since 2003 and Pearl got them back into the holder for their fourth season. Auburn earned a huge jump in the following year and in 2019 he won the first trip to Final Four.

The tigers were almost unstoppable this season.

Led all-American John BroomeAuburn spent eight direct weeks on No. 1, won the title of SEC regular season and won a school record of 32 games. The tigers were the total seed no. 1 in the NCAA tournament and walked through the holder and defeated Michigan State 70-64 for the second time to achieve the finals.

Pearl joined the Cliff Ellis in 1999 as the only coaches Auburn to win the AP Coach of the Year. He is the first coach of SEC to win Kentucky John Calipari 10 years ago.

“You want to be in a great team, you have to sacrifice,” Pearl said. “You have to share and you have to hold each other responsible. I think it’s a large part of what this dressing room is about. This is a team of faith.”

With the national coach of the year, as well as St. John’s.