"Just win, baby!": Rick Pitino hypes Walter Clayton Jr. as next Jalen Brunson ahead of NBA Combine

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino recently hyped his former point guard Walter Clayton Jr. on social media, comparing him to New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson. Pitino coached Clayton during his early college years at Iona. Clayton, who led the Florida Gators to a national championship, has turned his attention to the 2025 NBA Combine in Chicago, where he hopes to cement his status as a first-round pick.

Pitino expressed his thoughts on X on Thursday when he compared Clayton to Brunson on Friday ahead of the NBA Combine, which starts on May 11.

“Just think of what a big-time winner Jalen Brunson is, now pencil in Walter Clayton Jr. There you go,” Pitino tweeted. “Just win, baby!”

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 18.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.8% from the field, 38.6% from three and 87.5% from the line. The comparison came as Brunson recently dominated the Knicks’ NBA playoffs matchup against the Celtics.

Across his four-year college career, two seasons each at Iona and Florida, Clayton put up an impressive 112-32 record. That included a 36-4 run this past season with the Gators, capped by the school’s third national title.

At Iona, Clayton went 52-16 under Pitino, then posted a 60-16 mark in Gainesville. He was named a First-Team All-American and was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Clayton will be one of three players from Florida’s title-winning squad at the NBA Combine from May 11–18, joining teammates Alex Condon and Alijah Martin. As the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25–26 approaches, all eyes will be on Clayton.

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Rick Pitino honored after impressive run with St. John’s Red Storm

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino was honored after he secured the 2025 Herbert V. Hess Award. After his impressive run with the Red Storm, St. John’s honored Pitino on social media. In his second season, Pitino led St. John’s to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their highest in over two decades.

Pitino led the Red Storm on a historic run that included the program’s first Big East Tournament championship since 2000. Although the Red Storm’s season ended in the second round with a loss to John Calipari’s Arkansas, the program’s resurgence under Pitino has been undeniable.

On Wednesday, St. John’s social media account announced Pitino as the recipient of the Herbert V. Hess Award.

“Congratulations to Coach Rick Pitino on winning this year’s Herbert V. Hess Award!”

The honor added to an already impressive list of accomplishments for Rick Pitino, who was also named Co-Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, sharing the award with Auburn’s Bruce Pearl. Before joining St. John’s, Pitino had coached at Kentucky, Providence and Iona, winning national titles along the way.

A key part of St. John’s success this past season was Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr., who averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists. As the Red Storm gear up for the 2025-26 season, expectations have been set in anticipation of Pitino’s third season.