#TWITBE Ep. 11.9 - Rick Pitino, Val Ackerman, Jerry Walker

This Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman and BIG EAST Legend and former Seton Hall star Jerry Walker. The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode. The ninth episode of TWITBE looks at the landscape of the BIG EAST heading into the final weekend of regular season action. With five games remaining before the BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP, eight of the 11 seeds are up for grabs. The BIG EAST Spotlight is on St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, fresh off clinching the first outright regular season BIG EAST title in 40 years. Pitino now has the Red Storm poised for a pair of deep runs in the BIG EAST and NCAA Tournament, and talks about how the team will enjoy the home court feel at Madison Square Garden as the No. 1 seed. The BIG EAST Focus shines on BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman, who provides an informed account of where NCAA Athletics stand today and where it could be heading. Wrapping up her 12th season as Commissioner, Ackerman looks ahead to the 43rd playing of the BIG EAST Tournament in the world’s most famous arena, MSG. Rooke and McNamara are then joined by current BIG EAST Legend Jerry Walker. The former Seton Hall forward was the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in 1993, as well as a two-time All-BIG EAST member and a two-time BIG EAST Champion in 1991 and 1993. Walker takes the time to talk about his playing days as well as the work he has been doing in the community over the years. The episode’s “Who’s Hot” segment features the return of “Blast from the Past”, turning back the clock 40 years to 1985. St John’s, Villanova, and Georgetown were all in the Final Four during a magical run for the BIG EAST in the 1985 NCAA Tournament. In the first edition of the 64-team field, the eighth seeded Wildcats shocked the world, knocking off Georgetown to win the National Championship. To join the conversation and send questions to Rooke (@JRbroadcaster) and McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33), use on Twitter. Fans may submit questions to be featured on the show. Please

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#TWITBE Ep. 11.9 - Rick Pitino, Val Ackerman, Jerry Walker is an episode from This Week in the Big East - Weekly Overview of NCAA College Basketball's Top Conference by John Rooke & Kevin McNamara .

This episode is 44:54 long.

This episode was published on Mar 7, 2025.

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