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 shot at 900 wins comes against his own son.

In a family circle twist of fate, Pitino has 899 career victories 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 Musketeers coach.

“What’s the chances of that happening?” the elder Pitino said this week. “So I think that’s a big treat for me, and the family. Either way we know we’re going to have a difficult game against them because of their style of play. He’s doing a fabulous job.”

Rick Pitino is 3-1 in coaching matchups versus Richard, including a Red Storm victory over New Mexico at Madison Square Garden last season. But their Big East contest Saturday marks the first time they’ll square off in conference play.

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

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

Sitting just outside the AP Top 25 this week and riding a five-game win 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 following an agonizing 94-93 loss at Creighton. “I know there’s the storyline of my dad and this and that. But for me it’s a home game versus one of the best teams in the country. I’ve got to do my very best to not make it about that and make it solely on trying to put my guys in position to beat a really good team.”

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

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

Knight, though, is credited with 902 victories by the NCAA because three Indiana losses on the court were later ruled forfeits by the Hoosiers’ opponents as punishment for program violations.

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

Next on the wins list is Roy Williams with 903. But the NCAA record book recognizes only 776 victories for Pitino after stripping him of 123 because of infractions at Louisville.

Regardless of all that, 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, beginning with six games in an interim role at Hawaii in 1976.

Pitino also made stops at Boston University, Providence and Iona, sandwiched around NBA jobs with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, plus 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 lone coach to take six schools to the NCAA Tournament.

After five decades on the bench, Pitino said it’s “amazing” to him that his 900th win could come against his son, previously one of his assistants. Rick Pitino joked Tuesday night about pressing Xavier’s staff for a better walkthrough schedule this weekend, and how much Richard loves to needle his dad.

“He has a sense of humor like nobody else,” Rick Pitino said. “I’m really, really proud of Richard.”

But once their teams tip off on Saturday, it’s not about mom or milestones or any of that.

Just winning.

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

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AP Sports Writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.

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