LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Could another Pitino really coach the University of Louisville men's basketball team?
According to multiple reports Tuesday, New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino has emerged as a legitimate contender for the job. His father Rick Pitino coached the team from 2001-2017 until he was fired following multiple scandals.
According to Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, UofL and Richard Pitino have had "conversations" and he's "in the mix" for the job. Jeff Goodman, of Field of 68, followed up with a report of his own 20 minutes later saying Pitino emerged as a "legit candidate" to replace Kenny Payne, who was fired earlier this month.
According to SportsBetting.ag, Pitino had the 10th-best odds to become the new UofL coach Tuesday morning. By mid-afternoon, he was the new betting favorite.
Pitino, 41, just wrapped up a 26-10 season with New Mexico. His team earned an 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Mountain West conference tournament.
The Lobos fell to Clemson in the first round.
He is 61-41 (23-30 Mountain West) in three seasons with New Mexico. He was 141-123 (54-96 Big 10) in eight seasons at Minnesota before he was fired at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Pitino was 18-14 in his one season at Florida International in 2012-13. He was on his father's staff as an assistant at Louisville from 2007-2009.
Pitino is 1-3 in the NCAA Tournament. He has never finished better than fourth in any conference.
Rick Pitino led the Cardinals for over 15 years and brought the program a national championship in 2013. The NCAA later stripped the program of the title for its lack of oversight surrounding an escort sex scandal involving recruits.
Rick was eventually fired in 2017 after he was implicated in a federal investigation involving bribes to recruits. He filed a $38.7 million lawsuit against the school, which was settled in 2019.
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