What did Rick Pitino say? St. John's HC goes on ballistic rant about disturbing transfer portal

Rick Pitino is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, who has led the St. John's Red Storm to a 16-12 record in his first season leading the program, recently voiced his strong displeasure with the transfer portal, which has altered the NCAA landscape.

What did Rick Pitino say about the transfer portal?

Speaking to the media following the St. John's Red Storm's 80-66 victory over the No.15-ranked Creighton Bluejays, Rick Pitino discussed his previous comments that this is the unhappiest he's been in a season, stating:

"It’s because of the state of college basketball. It’s not the game I’ve loved for 50 years, 48 years, whatever it may be. You’re going to see what I’m talking about the day after Selection Sunday, you’re going to see it. It’s going to get to the point, somebody’s going to take [the NCAA] to court that they want to transfer mid-semester to play."

He noted that he did not play Peyton Siva or Russ Smith as freshman with the Louisville Cardinals, however, they were the two leading scorers on the 2013 title team. Rick Pitino added that the talk regarding the transfer portal has bothered him, as has the fact that much of the talent in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, where he spent the past three years coaching, has been poached.

The two-time national champion speculated that the transfer portal, and not name, image and likeness rules, has led to the retirement of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Jay Wright before adding:

"I listened to the president of the NCAA the other day. And he said can you put something in to stop people from transferring twice? His response was, no coaches leave whenever they want. But coaches have contracts, and coaches have to pay $3 million, $4 million, $20 million if they want to leave. I just think it’s very, very difficult to do what I’ve done for 35, 40 years, make players better, build them up, have them back." [h/t NJ.com]

While the transfer portal has allowed players to seek out more playing time elsewhere, it has also changed the entire landscape of collegiate sports. Not only are players now operating as professionals, treating the transfer portal as free agency, they are not locked into contracts that tie them to a team for a certain period of time.