NEW YORK – Richard Pitino has both climbed the men’s college basketball coaching ladder and returned to his roots.
Tuesday morning brought him to Madison Square Garden, a place he’s been visiting since he was a child. This time it was leading Xavier into Big East media day, the sideline replacement for Sean Miller after his jump to Texas.
Advertisement
Pitino is a Providence graduate who spent time on staff with the Friars as a student manager and at nearby St. Andrew’s in Barrington as an assistant. He watched closely while his father, Rick, started a Hall of Fame career with Providence by reaching the Final Four in 1987. It was largely those memories that convinced Pitino to leave New Mexico and accept an offer from the Musketeers entering 2025-26.
Xavier head coach Richard Pitino communicates with a player in the first half of an exhibition game between the Xavier Musketeers and Murray State Racers on Oct. 18.
“There’s kind of an added pressure you put on yourself to perform in this building,” Pitino said. “I know how special it is. It had a lot to do with me taking the job.”
Pitino got his start under Tim Welsh and Mike Hart in the 2000s before going to Charleston as an assistant. Five other college stints followed – including a pair at Louisville – before Florida International hired Pitino as a head coach in 2012-13. He left for Minnesota after one season and reached a pair of NCAA Tournaments with both the Golden Gophers and Lobos.
Advertisement
“To turn the corner and see somebody you maybe went to high school with or college with, it’s really fun,” Pitino said. “It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come back to the Big East.
“I loved my time at New Mexico, but I just felt like if I could get an opportunity to get back to this building it was too good to pass up.”
Pitino will now square off at least twice each season with his father, who leads the preseason conference favorite with St. John’s. They both carry a soft spot for the Friars through professional highs and personal lows. Pitino’s younger brother, Daniel, died of a congenital heart defect at six months in 1987 – Pitino and his wife, Joanne, have raised millions through the Daniel Pitino Foundation they established in memory of their son.
“That’s always been a place that’s had our heart,” Pitino said. “I had an amazing four years there. I don’t know if I’m looking forward to playing the game, but it’s always fun to go back there.”
Advertisement
Xavier was picked eighth in the preseason poll, and its players were shut out of the all-conference teams. The Red Storm counted the preseason Player of the Year in Zuby Ejiofor and four other players named to all-conference teams.
“He’s having to bring in 13 new players – no one stayed,” Rick Pitino said. “That’s difficult. He’s going to have a difficult season. But that’s to be expected when you have 13 new players and you’re just starting out.
“The good thing is he’s at Xavier – great basketball tradition, great arena, great city.”
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence grad Richard Pitino excited about Big East return
