Rick Pitino and John Calipari address media after round of 32 showdown
Rick Pitino and John Calipari address media after Arkansas beat St. John’s in round of 32 of the NCAA men’s tournament — VIDEO: NCAA
Sports Pulse
While legendary coach Rick Pitino and St. John’s were eliminated from the men’s NCAA Tournament with a loss to Arkansas in the second round on Saturday, it’s not the end of the Pitino name in 2025.
Rick Pitino’s son, Richard Pitino, is looking to be the only double-digit seed to reach the Sweet 16 as the head coach of New Mexico. The 10-seed Lobos are hoping to upset 2-seed Michigan State.
Richard Pitino has actually been coaching for quite some time now, as the 42-year-old coach was also the head coach of FIU from 2012-13 before coaching Minnesota for eight seasons. Richard Pitino has been with New Mexico since 2021 and has led the Lobos to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
New Mexico defeated Marquette 75-66 in the first round, and Richard Pitino is looking to advance a round further than his dad in 2025.
Here’s everything to know about the father-and-son coaches in the NCAA Tournament:
Are Rick and Richard Pitino related?
Yes, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino and New Mexico coach Richard Pitino are related, as Rick Pitino is Richard Pitino’s father, if it wasn’t obvious by the coaching chops and similar names.
Rick Pitino was also in attendance for the Lobos’ second-round game against Michigan State on Sunday night.
Richard Pitino was an assistant under his father in two different stints at Louisville, serving as an assistant coach from 2007-09 and later as the Cardinals’ associate head coach from 2011-12. In between he served as an assistant coach under Billy Donovan at Florida from 2009-11.
Richard Pitino coaching record
Here’s a look at Richard Pitino’s year-by-year record in college basketball:
- 2012-13 (FIU): 18-14
- 2013-14 (Minnesota): 25-13 (NIT Champions)
- 2014-15 (Minnesota): 18-15
- 2015-16 (Minnesota): 8-23
- 2016-17 (Minnesota): 24-10 (NCAA Tournament Round of 64)
- 2017-18 (Minnesota): 15-17
- 2018-19 (Minnesota): 22-14 (NCAA Tournament Round of 32)
- 2019-20 (Minnesota): 15-16
- 2020-21 (Minnesota): 14-15
- 2021-22 (New Mexico): 13-19
- 2022-23 (New Mexico): 22-12 (NIT first round)
- 2023-24 (New Mexico): 26-10 (NCAA Tournament first round)
- 2024-25 (New Mexico): 27-7
