March 26 (UPI) – The Xavier muskets employed Richard Pitino in New Mexico as a subsequent man’s basketball coach, college has introduced.
The athletic director Muscheti, Greg Christopher, introduced the transfer on Tuesday evening. Pitino, who educated Lobos for the final 4 seasons, additionally hung out as a head coach in Minnesota and Florida Worldwide College.
“Xavier is among the massive manufacturers in your complete school basketball,” Pitino stated. “It was all the time a dream of mine to coach within the Nice East. The Cintas Middle will stability.
“I can hardly wait to get a job.”
Pitino, the son of coach Corridor of Fame, Rick Pitino, led lobes to a report of 27-Eight and a second spherical within the males’s Basketball Match in 2025. Lobos went 88-49 and obtained two appearances in 4 seasons underneath Pitino.
Pitino, 42, has a common report of 247-186. He went 141-123 for eight seasons in Minnesota. He drove gold gophers to 2 appearances within the match. Pitino went 18-14 in a single season at Florida Worldwide College. He additionally labored as an assistant at Charleston, Northeastern, Duquesne, Florida and Louisville, the place he labored underneath his father.
The musketeers employed Pitino simply in the future after the previous coach Sean Miller was introduced as a brand new head coach at Texas. Miller led the musketeers to a observe of 22-12 in 2024-25. He was in 185-87 with six appearances within the tour throughout eight seasons throughout the two stints as a musketry coach.
“We’re delighted to satisfy Richard Pitino as the top of the male basketball,” Christopher stated. “It was confirmed to be a winner as a head coach in New Mexico and has a powerful profitable CV earlier than the top coach in Minnesota. His profitable success has been extremely standing for his father, Rick Pitino, Louisville and Billy Donovan in Florida.
“We had a rare curiosity in our place as head coach. It grew to become clear that Richard was appropriate for Xavier to guide us to the success of the championship within the Massive East and NCAA match.”
The Sports activities director Lobos, Fernando Lovo, stated on Tuesday that he was employed in negotiations to increase the contract with Pitino in the previous few months, however couldn’t attain an settlement with the coach.
“We’re grateful for the coach’s management, the dedication and the extraordinary contributions to the Lobo basketball,” Lovo stated. “His imaginative and prescient and dedication raised our program on the Nice Heights, bringing satisfaction and emotion to our followers, college students and college group. Whereas we’re disenchanted to see, we truthfully and his household are greatest.”
Pitino is now about to face his father, when the musketers are preventing with the Massive East rival, St. John’s, throughout their 2025-26 marketing campaign.