"It's Final Four or bust": $1,600,000,000 worth Mike Repole outlines his expectations from Rick Pitino's St. John's

Billionaire sports drink mogul and St. John's alumnus Mike Repole wants the Red Storm to make the Final Four in the next five years with Hall of Fame national champion coach Rick Pitino at the helm.

Repole, whose net worth is pegged at $1,600,000,000 (per Forbes), was on the "Up & Adams Show" hosted by Kay Adams and told the sportscaster/TV personality his aspirations for the St. John's team for the next five years.

"It's Final Four or bust for the next five years with me. I mean, that's, that's what we had to do," Repole said Tuesday. "And it's not just for St. John's, it's for all of New York and Madison Square Garden."

Mike Repole believes Pitino has the tools and experience to lead St. John's to its first national championship. The 72-year-old coach guided Kentucky and Louisville in the late 1990s and early 2010s.

"And Rick's an amazing person and friend. And you know, I might be biased, but he's the greatest college basketball coach ever," Repole said. "He's done it in so many different places, with so many teams with the same great results."

St. John's won the Big East regular season and tournament double last season but was ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Arkansas. The defeat ended the Red Storm's quest to make the Final Four for the first time since 1985 and third overall.

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Four-star prospect commits to St. John's

Four-star high school prospect Kelvin Odih committed to play for St. John's, the Red Storm announced on Wednesday. The Providence, Rhode Island, native becomes the ninth newcomer to sign with the Johnnies, who seek to surpass their Round of 32 finish last season.

The 6-foot-4 Odih spent his senior year at Southern California Academy after previous stints with South Kent (Connecticut) and La Salle Academy (Rhode Island). The small forward earned all-state honors in 2023 when he led La Salle to a 29-2 record and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Division I title.

A Rhode Island Elite standout in the AAU circuit, Odih averaged 19.1 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game in his time with La Salle. He also had 15 double-doubles en route to winning the state Player of the Year award.

He also participated in the Pangos All-American Camp and gained the Top-60 Game Most Valuable Player honors.

Odih beefs up the Red Storm team, which had four returnees in Zuby Ejiofor, Lefteris Liotopoulos, Ruben Prey and Sadiku Ibine Ayo.