Pitino's St. John's Contract Extension: Tournament Run First

0:00On March 27, St. John's has offered coach Rick Patino a big contract extension that would make him the second highest paid coach in the Big East, just behind Yukon's Dan Hurley. The deal aims to keep the 73-year-old coach around until he hits a thousand career wins. Earlier this week, the school paws negotiations so Patino could zero in on the team's best NCAA tournament run since 1999, they just pulled off a close 67-65 upset over Kansas to reach the round of 32. Patino's move sends a clear message to his players that advancing deeper in the tournament comes first. University President Father Brian Shanley and Athletic Director Ed Cole are staying positive as everyone agrees on the program's future direction. The reworked contract should bring more name, image, and likeness money, plus better facilities to help compete with top teams. Meanwhile, the red storm, now 30 wins and six losses, head to Washington, D.C. for a tough matchup against Duke.

1:00With Patino still leading at full strength, St. John's tournament hopes stay alive as they chase that next big step.