Richard Pitino is no longer the head coach of Minnesota, but it isn’t all bad news. Only hours after being fired by Minnesota, New Mexico hires Pitino. The Lobos parted ways with coach Paul Weir after four seasons as head coach in Alburquerque. For a team that has not made the NCAA tournament since 2014, NMU is hoping Pitino can get them back to the big dance.
BREAKING: New Mexico has hired former Minnesota coach Richard Pitino, sources told @Stadium.
Pitino was officially unemployed for about 12 hours or so.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 16, 2021
Pitino was let go from Minnesota after eight seasons at the helm of the Golden Gophers. He won an NIT championship in 2014 with two tournament appearances over the course of eight seasons. The Golden Gophers had two 20+ win seasons under Pitino. Minnesota made the 2019 NCAA tournament, falling in the second round to Louisville.
Pitino spent a year at Florida International University as head coach with assistant coaching stops across the eastern half of the United States. This will be the furthest west that Pitino has coached, bringing new opportunities for recruiting as well as challenges.
