Rick Pitino shouts out Kirk Herbstreit after bringing dog to practice, points out disastrous result

Kirk Herbstreit’s dog, Ben, has been lucky enough to travel across the country with the renowned college football analyst. Herbstreit takes Ben with him everywhere he goes, hotels, airports, and college football stadiums. The dog simply doesn’t leave his side. He was a popular topic last week, when he showed up in the booth during the LSU vs. USC game. And he’s inspired others across the college landscape to try and bring their dog to work. Ben Herbstreit inspired St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino to bring his dog Gigi to his practice, and it didn’t work out so well, as you might imagine.

Pitino let his Twitter followers know on Wednesday that the move was a “disaster.” And his dog peed all over the court. He won’t be bringing Gigi to St. John’s basketball practice ever again.

Took a page from ⁦@KirkHerbstreit⁩ and took my Gigi to practice. What a disaster-peed all over the basketball court -never again 🤦🏼‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/zilAp1jEZ0

— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) October 16, 2024

It’s a pretty funny story and nice to see that after all these years, Pitino has not lost his sense of humor.

In March of 2023, the St. John’s Red Storm signed Pitino to a six-year deal worth roughly $20 million, according to reports. The idea is that he’ll be able to guide St. John’s back to national prominence. Last season, he led the Red Storm to a 20-13 overall record and 11-9 overall in the Big East. They rejected a NIT invite after just missing the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Rick Pitino reeled in some big-time talent from the portal

Pitino reeled in a number of players through the transfer portal this offseason, Kadary Richmond from Seton Hall, Deivon Smith from Utah, Aaron Scott from North Texas, and Vincent Iwuchukwu from USC. Richmond posted some pretty impressive numbers last year for the Pirates, stuffing the stat sheet with 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He was one of the most coveted prospects in the transfer portal this offseason and it hasn’t taken him long to impress his new teammates.

Richmond earned first team All-Big East honors last year as he led Seton Hall to the 2024 NIT Tournament title. That’s not the only special talent that Pitino reeled in. Deivon Smith stuffed the stat sheet with 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game last year for the Utes. Much like Richmond, he was one of the more complete guards in the country. He recorded five triple doubles, the second-most in NCAA history.

Pitino and the Red Storm will officially begin their 2024 campaign when they face off against the Fordham Rams. That one will be played on Monday, November 4th.