Why Rick Pitino apologized to St. John’s after season-opening win

Rick Pitino issued an apology over social media on Tuesday to St. John’s fans who dealt with long lines to enter Carnesecca Arena for the season-opening victory over Fordham on Monday night.

Some fans missed a good portion of the first half for the game that tipped off at 6:30 p.m.

St. John’s made some changes to the game day setup. Food trucks and a DJ were added outside the arena with security checkpoints moved behind new gates that were set up outside Carnesecca.

“I apologize to all our great fans that had to wait a long time to get into sold out Carneseca,” Pitino wrote on X. “I can assure you this will never happen again.”

St. John’s torched Fordham, 92-60, with a spirited defensive performance.

St. John’s played only five regular season games at Carnesecca Arena last year.

This season, that number will go up to 10. St. John’s will face Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon in Queens.