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Rick Pitino gives testy response on sitting RJ Luis: ‘You already know the answer’
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Rick Pitino made a gutsy call late in the season-ending loss for St. John’s. Facing Arkansas with the Sweet 16 on the line, Pitino opted to keep his leading scorer, RJ Luis, on the bench down the stretch.
A lead for the Red Storm, Luis did not return to the action with the Razorbacks finishing off the 75-66 win. The decision by Pitino is one that was heavily scrutinized on social media, even as Luis struggled mightily with just 9 points on 3-for-17 shooting.
To be fair, Luis was not the only player struggling for either team in this one. Arkansas shot 11% from 3-point range in the win while St. John’s was even worse at 2-for-22 (9.1%). The Red Storm finished the game shooting 28% overall from the floor.
When asked about keeping Luis off the court, Pitino and the reporter engaged in a brief back and forth. Asked for any reason behind sitting Luis, Pitino initially referenced the playing time of the star:
“He played 30 minutes, that’s a long time,” said Pitino.
“So, he was tired?” inquired the reporter.
“No, he played 30 minutes and I went with other people. You already know the answers, you’re asking leading questions. You already know it, so don’t ask me any questions. You already know why he didn’t play,” concluded Pitino.
It’s hard to say Pitino’s move cost his team the game with the Red Storm struggling with and without Luis in the lineup. However, it’s a move that will continue to be questioned with St. John’s heading home and Arkansas moving on to another Sweet 16.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
