Richard Pitino to be named UNM Men’s Basketball head coach

The University of Minnesota let go of head coach Richard Pitino on Monday after an eight-year run in which Pitino led the Golden Gophers to a 141-123 record and two NCAA tournament berths, and an NIT Championship.

Pitino’s unemployment period lasted less than 24 hours, with the University of New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuñez hiring the 38-year-old coach to become the new coach of the Lobos. 

According to multiple reports from Jeff Goodman of stadium.com and Geoff Grammar of the Albuquerque Journal, Pitino will be officially named head coach by the school later today.

Pitino takes over a struggling program under Paul Weir that went 2-15 in Mountain West Conference play in a COIVD-19 restricted season in which UNM played all of their games on the road.