Less than an hour after Chris Mack announced he would return to Charleston, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein announced that Xavier will hire Richard Pitino Jr. as its next head coach.
Sources: Xavier will hire New Mexico's Richard Pitino as its next head basketball coach.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 26, 2025
Pitino, 42, has posted an 88-49 record over the last four seasons in turning New Mexico into one of the top programs in the Mountain West.
The Lobos finished 27-8 this season and beat Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 2 Michigan State Sunday night in Cleveland. New Mexico won the Mountain West tournament in 2024 and were regular season champions this year.
Pitino had an eight-year run as the head coach at Minnesota from 2013-2021. He posted a record of 141-123 with the Golden Gophers with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Minnesota parted ways with Pitino after a 14-15 record during 2020-2021 campaign.
Pitino will join the Big East alongside his father, Hall-of-Famer and St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, who just let St. John's to Big East regular season and conference tournament titles before a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Richard Pitino to be next head basketball coach for Xavier Musketeers
