Rick Pitino’s 900th win could come against his son when St. John’s visits Xavier this weekend

NEW YORK (AP) — Rick Pitino is on the cusp of another coaching milestone. And get this: His first attempt at reaching 900 wins comes against his son.

In a twist of family circle fate, Pitino has 899 career wins on the college basketball court as he leads St. John’s into Saturday’s game at Xavier, where Richard Pitino is in his first season as the Musketeers’ coach.

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“What are the chances of that happening?” the elder Pitino said this week. “So I think it’s a big surprise for me and the family. In any case we know that we will have a difficult match against them because of their style of play. He is doing a fabulous job.”

Rick Pitino is 3-1 in coaching meetings against Richard, including the Red Storm’s win over New Mexico at Madison Square Garden last season. But their Big East contest on Saturday marks the first time they will face each other in conference play.

So what does the 73-year-old Hall of Famer think of the prospect of winning No. 900 at his boyfriend’s expense?

“I think he’s going to do everything humanly possible to stop it,” Rick Pitino said with a smile.

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Sitting just outside the AP Top 25 this week and riding a five-game winning streak, St. John’s (14-5) holds second place in the Big East standings at 7-1.

Xavier (11-8) is tied for sixth with two other teams at 3-5.

“It’s like any other game,” Richard Pitino, 43, said Wednesday night after the heartbreaking 94-93 loss at Creighton. “I know there’s my dad’s storyline and this and that. But for me it’s a home game against one of the best teams in the country. I’ve got to do my best not to make it and do it solely by trying to put my guys in a position to beat a really good team.”

After winning national championships at Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013), Rick Pitino is looking to join a handful of coaches who have won 900 games in Division I men’s basketball. That legacy, however, is complicated.

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Citing his on-court accomplishments, St. John’s standout Pitino tied Bob Knight for fourth place with 899 career victories (most among active coaches) as the Red Storm rallied for a 65-60 victory Tuesday night over Seton Hall.

Knight, however, is credited with 902 victories by the NCAA because three Indiana field losses were later declared forfeits by the Hoosiers’ opponents as punishment for schedule violations.

“I can’t write Coach Knight. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I probably just coached a lot longer than him,” a deferential Pitino said.

Next on the list of wins is Roy Williams with 903. But the NCAA record books only recognize 776 wins for Pitino after taking away 123 due to infractions at Louisville.

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Regardless, St. John’s plans to commemorate and celebrate the achievement whenever Pitino earns No. 900. He is 899-316 overall in 38 seasons as a college head coach, starting with six games in an interim role at Hawaii in 1976.

Pitino also made stops at Boston University, Providence and Iona, working in the NBA with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, as well as a stint with Greek team Panathinaikos.

Now in his third season with St. John’s, the reigning AP National Co-Coach of the Year has been to seven Final Fours and is the only coach to take six schools to the NCAA Tournament.

After five decades on the bench, Pitino said it was “amazing” that his 900th victory could come against his son, previously one of his assistants. Rick Pitino joked Tuesday night about pressuring the Xavier staff for a better visit schedule this weekend, and about how much Richard loves to needle his father.

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“He has a sense of humor like no other,” Rick Pitino said. “I’m really, really proud of Richard.”

But once their teams report on Saturday, it’s not about mom or milestones or anything like that.

Just win.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. Great game,” Rick Pitino said. “If we lose, I will leave my team in Cincinnati.”

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AP Sports Writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.

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