“I'm gonna give Richard a good spanking two times”: Rick Pitino makes hilarious remark ahead of facing his son

Rick Pitino is already setting the stage for one of the most talked-about matchups of the upcoming season. The legendary St. John's coach will go head-to-head with his son, Richard Pitino, who has taken over the reins at Xavier.

During an appearance on WFAN Sports Radio on Wednesday, Rick made a humorous comment.

"I always joke, and my son hates this joke, but I never, ever spanked any of my children," Rick said. "I'm gonna give him a good spanking two times this year."

Since taking charge at St. John's, Rick Pitino has revitalized the program with his trademark intensity and elite coaching pedigree. In his first season, he led the program to a 20-13 record, but his second was when things came together.

The Red Storm had a 31-5 record and won both the Big East regular season and tournament titles, ending their conference drought of over two decades. They also reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, Richard Pitino is embarking on a new chapter after previously coaching at FIU, Minnesota and New Mexico.

He brings a 247-186 career record into his new role at Xavier, and while he had mixed results in the Big Ten with Minnesota, his stint at New Mexico saw a noticeable uptick, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and a 27-8 campaign last season that caught the attention of Xavier.

With both father and son now in the same conference, their meetings will go beyond just family bragging rights, as they both compete for the Big East crown.

Rick Pitino not keen on another stint with Knicks

The Red Storm and the New York Knicks both play at Madison Square Garden, and this has prompted questions about whether Rick Pitino would be looking to coach both teams after the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau.

However, he poured cold water on any thought around that during an appearance on WFAN Sports Radio.

“I can assure you that a 73-year-old is not coaching 100 games anymore," Pitino said. "I would never wish myself that.”

Pitino was the Knicks head coach from 1987 to 1989.