Entrepreneur and St. John’s booster Mike Repole ponies up for some Sweet 16 Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: How do you and coach Rick Pitino click?
A: It’s easy. Because we’re crazy (laugh). We push ourselves. … I sold one company in 2007 for $4.1 billion, so then I had to come back and form another beverage company I had to double that and sell it for 8 billion dollars. If I ever go back into beverages again, I’m gonna have to sell one for 16. I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s why I buy the United Football League as a co-owner. The easy route for Rick would have been to stay at Kentucky for 30 years, and win five championships. And he could have done that. But for him the challenging part was, “What’s next?” … And for me, it’s the same thing. When I talked to Kobe Bryant or Tom Brady, you would ask ’em, “What’s your favorite championship?” You know what they would say? “The next one.” We both are happy but we’re not content. If we would have lost the other night, I would have felt like we just did what we did last year, and trust me, doing what you did last year was incredible! We had to take another step forward, right? Now you’re playing with house money where you’ve improved back-to-back years. … When I talked to Rick about this job, it was Final Four or bust, right? I knew he wanted that in the worst way, and I wanted that in the worst way. I’m supporting St. John’s, I’m supporting Rick Pitino, I’m supporting Madison Square Garden and I’m supporting New York. These Garden games are magical. We went from playing five games a year at the Garden with 4,000 fans to this year we played 13 and next year we’ll probably play 15-plus. I think that we’ve very Type A personalities and we never look upon our past successes. The focus is now and the future. We’re win-aholics. We f—–g love to compete and we love to win. I just want to make his life and job easier and just support him. Listen, you can ask him, when we win a game, he gets 125 texts probably, I’m one of ’em. When he loses a game, he probably gets under three, and I’m one of ’em. You gotta be there for the good and the bad, right? He’s inspiring me. There’s very few times he’ll make me look lazy … he’s making me look lazy. I have to work harder, I’m not doing enough at 57 ’cause he’s doing a lot more at 73 than I am.
Q: You once said, “I wake up bankrupt every day.”
A: It’s that mentality. In 2007, I sold a company and I made enough money that my great-great-great-great-great-great grandkids never had to work another day in their life. But for me, it was the beginning, not the end. My mentality every day, whether I was a 15-year-old kid playing basketball at the schoolyard or I’m a 55-year-old entrepreneur … I wake up at 6 a.m. bankrupt, broke. I’m waiting for someone to knock on my door and take everything and take my possessions away. At about 12 o’clock, I feel like I got a million dollars, so I feel I’m OK and got enough to pay the bills, And then about 6 p.m., I feel like, “Alright, now I got 100 million. OK, I’m good.” At midnight, I have a couple of billion, and then I enjoy 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. and then I sleep four hours and I f—–g wake up bankrupt again. I wake up with like, “I got work to do, man, I don’t have time to sleep, man. There’s things to be accomplished.”
Q: Why is he a Hall of Fame coach?
A: I think he’s a lot more than a Hall of Fame coach. I think the discussion more is about is he the greatest college basketball coach of all time? I think that’s the real question. Hall of Fame coaches, you could have settled that 15 years ago, right? To me, what’s more impressive, somebody like a John Wooden and Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] that stays at one program for 40 years and wins multiple championships, or somebody that, no matter where he goes, he’s the common denominator. To me, it’s a lot harder to be a guy who where he goes, he changes the energy, he changes the culture, and he just wins. From BU [Boston University] to St. John’s.
Q: What is it about the way he operates that makes him successful?
A: I knew him as a 10-, 15-year-old kid watching him coach Providence, and watching him make Billy Donovan a guy that would have been maybe a fourth guy off the bench into like a Big East All-American, right? He’s the biggest motivator out there. I think he challenges and pushes people to limits that they’ve never thought they had before. He’s not out here to make friends. He’s out here to make you better. And by making you better, you wind up making your team better. You want to say old-school coach, whatever, but he’s much bigger than just an old-school coach. Being a serial entrepreneur, I can relate to a lot of what Rick has done. And I’m still learning from him just being on the sideline and listening to him speak to the team. I have a saying, “Happy, not content” — I’m not sure if Rick has the happy part (laugh). He definitely has the not-content part, right? If he wins by one, he’s gonna find reasons why they should have won by more, and if they win by 30, he’s gonna find reasons on what they did wrong. But you know what? The greatness about people like that — and I’ve been blessed, I was partners with Kobe Bryant on one brand, and I’m friends with Tom Brady and I’m friends now with Rick Pitino — the great ones never think great is good enough. We’re out there hugging about the Kansas game, and he’s like, “We got Duke, we got Duke.” Kobe once said, “Job not done.” That’s what Rick is. The guy is 74 and he works harder than his 24-year-old players. I’m exhausted watching him coach from the sideline. He never sits down, he’s all over the place, he’s running back and forth. I mean, there’s nobody that wants to win this more than him. And I got news for ya, he’s better at 74 than he was at 64, he’s better at 74 than he was at 54, and 44. He looks like he’s in better shape now at 74 than when he was younger. He’s a machine, man, he’s a machine.
Q: You’re cheating him; he’s only 73.
A: Yeah, I always make him older, it makes me feel better (laugh).
Q: Why is he the perfect coach for New York?
A: The program really wasn’t relevant for let’s say 20 years. … I think you’re watching Picasso paint with Rick. He’s just the maestro. The day he joins you, you become better. And he’s not gonna stop until you meet his expectations, which are much higher for you than he has. But the gets that out of you. Years ago, when I used to have dinner with him when he was at Louisville, I dreamt about this. From St. Dom’s, he started in New York, always had the apartment up here, Joanne, his wife … what a beautiful story. This is where it should end. … This might be his Mona Lisa. … He’s made for Madison Square Garden. This is his city, man. He coached the Knicks at one time, he knows what Madison Square Garden’s about. This is his time, this is his moment, and honestly, as a friend, I swear to God, my biggest concern, and maybe it’s a lesson for me, is are you having fun, are you enjoying it, can you enjoy it more? He’s a different guy. He has 16 grandchildren now, every time I talk to him there’s a newborn being born. Eight boys, eight girls, he even did that right. He’s got a girls team and he’s got a boys team (laugh).
Q: How many millions have you given to the program this year?
A: Honestly, I don’t think I exactly know, how’s that sound? Do you know what they spend on NIL? I think it’s 10 and I’m north of 50 percent, that’s all you have to know. .. It’s not about an exact amount. It’s really about what does Rick, Steve Masiello, Ed Kull and St. John’s need to compete at the highest level? Next year it could be more, it could be less. If Rick called me at 2:30 in the morning and said, “I need a million dollars for this guy,” I’m gonna send him the money before he wakes up. ’Cause that’s how much trust and faith I have in him. … I was 15 years old and I used to go to Madison Square Garden and sit in the blue seats. I used to watch [Chris] Mullin, [Bill] Wennington and Walter Berry versus Pearl Washington and Ed Pinckney and Patrick Ewing. I went from the last row to the first row. The enjoyment I had in the last row is the same enjoyment I’m having now in the first row. I want to win this for Rick, that team, the coaches and all of New York. I left New York, I’m always gonna be a kid from New York, right? Maybe there’s a little bit of a, “Hey, I bailed on the city” or something. … I used to go to these games with my dad. He passed away 10 years ago, he would love this right now. Group of 65-year-old men, we used to watch these games 40 years ago in a bar, we’ve seen each other more the last two years than we did the last 30 years combined. That motivates me, man, that gets me very, very, very excited. “Hey, I’m a huge St. John’s fan, my daughter goes to Villanova, my son goes to Georgetown, but we all root for St. John’s.” It’s just special, man.
Q: What do you like best about this team?
A: They’re great kids. You talk about spoiled, entitled … it’s not true. When you know you’re playing for Rick Pitino, you know you’re gonna be coached hard. For the right person, working for Mike Repole’s the best job of your life. For the wrong person, you better run and run really really fast ’cause it’s scary, OK? These kids are here because they want to be better. These kids probably took less money from St. John’s in NIL because they were worried not about what they were gonna make in ’25, but what they were gonna make in maybe 2035. … Your buddy Zach [Braziller] did an interview, after they lost to Providence, called me up — and by the way, if you can just put this in, I think we’re 21-1 since that interview — and the f——g interview was, “How do you feel about your investment, are you a little disappointed about the investment?” Listen, what Rick did differently this year was he played the toughest of the tough schedule early in the year. These teams are still around!
Q: What do you think about the matchup with Duke?
A: I love it! I love the matchup. Love it. Could not be more excited about the matchup.
Q: Why is that?
A: You’re playing Duke at a time where you’re giving Rick five days to prepare for the No. 1 team in the country. The talent on Duke is insane, but the experience on St. John’s is insane.
Q: You like their chances?
A:. I love their chances.
Q: Would you like to see UConn again?
A: I never want to see Danny Hurley and UConn again. I’m gonna start pitching Danny Hurley for the North Carolina job. I’m willing to pay some of Danny Hurley’s salary to go to North Carolina. I want to get him out of my conference. It should have been in a Final Four or it should have been in the final. They put the two best teams in the Big East, two Top 10 teams, in the same [region]. To put ’em in the same [region], was such a slap in the face to the Big East. I think it was disrespectful. I heard Danny say, “UConn fans should root for St. John’s and St. John’s fans should root for UConn,” and I think he’s right. But I got news for ya, I think I’d be more worried about UConn than Duke, how’s that sound?
Q: Do you think Zuby Ejiofor will be an NBA first-round draft pick?
A: I think he’s definitely gonna be a first-round draft choice. I see Draymond Green. Probably a nicer guy to his teammates than Draymomd Green (laugh), but someone who just has this competitive fire. If he’s gotta score 20 points, he’s got 20 points, … If he needs 20 rebounds, he’ll get the 20 rebounds. If he needs to get 10 blocks, he’ll get 10 blocks. It’s win-first, it’s team-first. He’s just such a great, great, great, great kid. My daughter’s 10 years old and that’s her favorite player. Every time they win now, and she was with me in the first couple of rounds of the Big East, she runs on the court, takes a selfie with Zuby, thank God Madison Square Garden didn’t arrest her.
Q: What was it like winning the 2022 Belmont Stakes?
A: It was better than a dream. I dreamt about winning the Belmont. I didn’t know I was gonna come in first [Mo Donegal] and second [Nest] in the race, in my dreams I didn’t have that.
Q: You have 350 horses?
A: I think it’s 330 now. We got the top 3-year-old filly in the country. Her name is Zany, she’s 3-for-3…. And then I have the fifth early morning line horse called The Renegade. He runs this weekend in the Arkansas Derby.
Q: Could you sum up Nobull?
A: I wanted to get into a brand that could impact lives, and Nobull was the perfect trademark to me. I’m trying to build a brand that’s a lot more than sneaker and apparel, and we’ve added nutrition. But it’s about the Nobull mentality. How much BS does somebody deal with in life? This is about Nobull mentality. And really the sneakers and the apparel and the electrolytes and the coaching are really just the tools that will make you better. We talked about how I like to make my employees better and Coach likes to make his players better. Kind of like a brand that helps you through highs and lows in life, right? We all know we should be eating better, we all know we should be walking more, we all know we should be lifting some sort of weight, we should be relaxing more, we should be sleeping more, I want Nobull to be kind of like the head coach of your life for mental, emotional and physical, not just physical.
Q: Where were you on 9/11?
A: I was working for Vitaminwater. I was at a trade show in Vegas, and I have one brother and he was a New York City cop, we didn’t talk for 20 hours. We knew that his precinct was the 113 Precinct Queens, sent two vans full of police officers towards the first tower when it was hit. By the time they got there, the second tower was on the way. He got there, and they got out and they started to run towards the tower, and the first one fell. And maybe if they were there five minutes earlier, things would be way different in my life. And not hearing from my brother for 20 hours while his wife was pregnant, by the way, was a pretty tough moment for us.
Q: Four dinner guests?
A: I have a foundation called Nonna’s Garden after my grandmother — so my grandmother Assunta. Kobe Bryant. I met him in ’08, 2012 when he tore his Achilles, he reached out to me and we were super close, and then January 26, 2020, my life and my perspective changed forever. I got a call an hour before it was announced, and think about him every day. I’m an innovator, I’m a visionary, I guess I’d go with Steve Jobs. The Blessed Mother. I’ve been blessed with a great grandmother, a great mother who’s still alive, thank God, a great wife for 26 years, and God gave me one child and it was a girl. I wanted a girl with my wife’s personality and I get the girl with my personality, so I screwed up a little bit. She’s amazing, I haven’t had a boss in 50 years, and now I have a boss for the last 10 years.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Tommy Boy.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Adam Sandler.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Julia Roberts.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: My mom’s manicotti, and chicken cutlet parmigiana.
Q: Who plays you in the movie about your life?
A: Adam Sandler.
Q: Who plays Rick Pitino?
A: Al Pacino.
Q: What are you most proud of?
A: Every one of my businesses, every partner,and every employee was a shareholder, and through years of selling multiple businesses, I probably made 3,000 families millionaires. And all good people. Money doesn’t change you. If you’re an idiot with money, you become a bigger idiot, and if you’re a good person with money, you become a better person ’cause you can do more. Money just magnifies who you are. … I have a saying: Success is best when shared. When Body Armor sold, we had like 28-year-old kids make $500,000 to a million five, we had people make 3-5 million dollars and retire, and they did the right things, they took care of their parents, they took care of their siblings’ education, they helped their brothers and sisters out, they donated money. The day we sold Body Armor, a week later I gave 50 million dollars to Sloan Kettering. … I’ve given 24 million at Cornell, I’ve given 20 million at Columbia, it’s all out there. When Kobe passed away, we sold the company, I gave $24 million to the Mamba Mambacita Foundation. With cancer, a lot of my focus is targeted drug therapy, cell therapy, immunotherapy and early drug development. It’s about trying to help people in the future.
Q: What is your message to this St. John’s team?
A: Kind of what I say: think big, dream bigger. Why not us? Think big, dream bigger. It’s always been a mantra of my life. Happy not content, but think big, dream bigger, and I would give that to every single kid in the world. My dad was a waiter, my mom was a seamstress, I’m not supposed to be where I am, I’m supposed to be kicking a soccer ball, making cappuccinos or pizza in either Italy or France. I’m pretty blessed.
Q: You expect these guys to come back with a Final Four?
A: I think we have as good of a shot at the Final Four as we probably did in ’85. I’m not gonna tell you that I would be shocked if we won, and I’m not gonna tell you I’m shocked if we lost. To me in my head, it’s a pick-’em game. St. John’s winning by 15 over Kansas or winning the way they did … winning the way they did will prepare them even better for Duke. That’s gonna carry forward. I can tell you right now, if I was a Duke fan, and you told me one team I didn’t want to play, St. John’s would be one of those teams.
Q: Playing with house money should make St. John’s loose.
A: We ain’t gonna be tight. We ain’t the No. 1 seed. They are.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
