Xavier University announced on Tuesday night that it has hired Richard Pitino, the son of St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, as its new basketball coach. This move comes after the school’s previous coach, Sean Miller, left for the Texas job.
Richard Pitino, who spent the past four years coaching New Mexico, takes over at Xavier following a successful run with the Lobos. Under his leadership, New Mexico secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, with this season’s team finishing 27-8 and falling to Michigan State in the second round of the tournament.
Pitino expressed excitement about the new opportunity, saying, “Xavier is one of the great brands in all of college basketball. It has always been a dream of mine to coach in the Big East. The Cintas Center is going to be rocking. I can’t wait to get to work.”
During his time at New Mexico, Pitino was named Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the Lobos to a regular-season title. Over his coaching career, he has compiled an 88-49 record at New Mexico and a 247-186 overall coaching record.
Xavier acted swiftly after Chris Mack confirmed he would stay at the College of Charleston. Had Mack opted to return to Xavier, where he coached the Musketeers for nine seasons, it would have been the second time he succeeded Sean Miller as the head coach at the Cincinnati-based school.
Richard Pitino’s appointment as Xavier’s new head coach marks his fourth head coaching role. He previously coached at Florida International in 2012-13 before spending eight seasons at Minnesota.
Greg Christopher, Xavier’s athletic director, praised Pitino’s proven track record, noting his success at New Mexico and his strong coaching background at Minnesota. Christopher also highlighted Pitino’s assistant coaching experience, particularly his time working under his father, Rick Pitino, at Louisville, and with Billy Donovan at Florida.
“We had strong interest in the head coaching position, but it quickly became clear that Richard was the right choice to lead Xavier to success in the Big East and the NCAA Tournament,” Christopher said in a statement.
Richard Pitino recently discussed how a school’s commitment to its basketball program, particularly in terms of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and revenue sharing, played a crucial role in his decision to leave New Mexico for a new coaching opportunity.
He acknowledged that while NIL and revenue sharing are not everything, lacking them makes it almost impossible to compete. “The balance of power has shifted significantly,” he said, explaining that coaches now focus first on a school’s investment when considering a potential move. “This landscape is crazy. Coaches are still getting fired for not winning enough games,” Pitino added.
His move to Xavier sets up a regular rivalry with his father, Rick Pitino, as both will coach against each other twice a season in the Big East. The two have met four times before, including this season when St. John’s defeated New Mexico at Madison Square Garden in November.
Rick Pitino, who was named the 2024-25 Big East Coach of the Year, led St. John’s to its first outright regular-season conference title in 40 years. He attended his son’s game on Sunday in Cleveland, where St. John’s, the No. 2 seed in the West Region, lost to Arkansas 75-66 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Richard Pitino, who will turn 43 when the next season begins, takes over a Xavier program that has regained momentum under Sean Miller’s second tenure. The Musketeers have made the NCAA Tournament two times in the past three years, finishing this season with a 22-12 record. They advanced to the main tournament bracket after a First Four victory over Texas but were eliminated by No. 6 seed Illinois in the first round, losing 86-73.
Pitino had a mixed tenure at Minnesota but found success at New Mexico, leading the Lobos to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2013-14. His team’s 75-66 win over Marquette last Friday marked their first NCAA tournament victory since 2012.
Reflecting on his career, Richard Pitino said, “Now more than earlier in my career, I understand it’s about building a program, not just focusing on individual plays or turnovers.” He explained that, as a young coach in the Big Ten, his goal was to establish himself, but now his focus is on putting his players and staff in the best possible positions for success.
It remains uncertain if any of his former players at New Mexico, including Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent and Tru Washington, who entered the transfer portal, will join him at Xavier.
