The Herd with Colin Cowherd Best of The Herd
Mar 4, 2026
Rick Pitino, veteran college coach and two-time national champ now at St. John’s, reflects on four decades in the game. He talks NIL, the rise of international players and how European styles reshaped spacing and ball movement. He also discusses communication on multilingual rosters and what matters most for March success.
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Recognize College Basketball's New Talent Economy
- Rick Pitino recommends valuing college basketball now because NIL and international options raised talent and pay, making college attractive versus EuroLeague for many players.
- He notes top teams like Duke, Arizona, Michigan are deeper and competition has risen dramatically in the last two years.
European Players Raise Team Offense IQ
- Pitino praises European players for ball movement, cutting, and high-post play, saying their offensive IQ improves team play even if many struggle defensively.
- He lists his international roster (Austria, Sweden, Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal, Greece) as proof of the foreign influence.
Parents Should Let Players Develop Locally
- Pitino advises parents to step back, letting kids develop love for the game and stay with coaches who build discipline rather than chasing short-term NIL money.
- He blames overinvolved parents more than AAU for disrupting development and transfers.