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New Xavier head basketball coach Richard Pitino credits his father, Rick Pitino, for his insatiable competitive nature.
"That would be the singular thing I've learned," Pitino said Tuesday at his introductory press conference. "To get everybody to scratch and claw and band together to get a win, then do it again. There's no better, fiercer competitor."
Pitino will now feel his father's cutthroat coaching tactics twice a year when Xavier and St. John's face off during the 2025-26 regular season. It'll be the same feeling the two share when battling on the links.
"We're both bad golfers," Pitino said. "You would think it's Sunday at The Masters when we play."
'Team effort.': How Xavier landed Richard Pitino as next head coach
Williams: Xavier Musketeers opt for new voice in hiring New Mexico's Richard Pitino
But Rick Pitino, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, had always encouraged his son to stay at New Mexico over the last few years when his name was frequently brought up during the coaching carousel.
"Every time I had an offer he'd say, 'stay at New Mexico,' " Pitino said. "He saw the way the community embraced me. He saw that we were winning. He saw how happy I was."
When Xavier expressed interest, it was different.
"When Xavier called, he changed his tune," Pitino said. "He said, 'you've got to do that one. It just fits you.' "
The fit was too good. Pitino attended Providence College, a Catholic school like Xavier, and his father felt the basketball-crazed fanbase and community would easily embrace him. Plus, he was back in the Midwest and close to Louisville, where he spent two stints on his father's staff with the Cardinals, including a Final Four run in 2012.
"This was, by far, the one over any of the other ones," Pitino said. "Some had offered, some had not. This is the one he wanted me to take."
This season, the Pitino family group chat primarily celebrated Rick's success in leading St. John's to its first Big East title since 1985.
"When we go beat San Diego State, nobody even texts me after the game because they're all sleeping," Pitino laughed. "They'd always tell me they'd watch the first couple of minutes then go to bed. I get it. They're all up late."
When he accepted the job at Xavier, Rick, who usually skips the Big East's spring meetings which are typically held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, asked Richard if he'd be in attendance.
"I said, 'I'm not like you, I'm not gonna skip the meetings,' " Pitino said. "He wants me to do my own thing."
Pitino understands that his last name is always going to draw headlines, but he's been able to build a career of his own over the last 13 seasons as a Division I head coach.
"I do think I'm at a stage now where I did not get hired at Xavier because I'm Rick Pitino's son. Early in my career at Minnesota and FIU, I think New Mexico, as well, I was unproven. I think the body of work speaks for itself," Pitino said. "I'm not motivated by proving everybody wrong. I'm motivated by making this place even more special than it is right now.
"The only time I think about being Rick Pitino’s son is with the media or people coming up to you. It’s fine. It doesn’t upset me in any way. It doesn’t factor into what I’m trying to do professionally.”
Tempo, steals and sarcasm: What to expect from Richard Pitino-coached Xavier Musketeers
Getting to that point doesn't happen overnight when you're cast in a legend's shadow. That's why, after two seasons at Louisville on his father's staff, Pitino chose to join Billy Donovan's staff at the University of Florida in 2009 as a stepping-stone to carving his own path.
"I just saw a man that everybody thought was a mini-Rick Pitino who was nothing like him," Pitino said. "He showed me I could do it my own way. There are similarities in the way they run a program. Not to say being different from my dad was a good thing. Just totally comfortable in the way he's doing it, in his own skin, in his own legacy. Honestly, it opened more doors for me. It was the greatest decision I've ever made."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Rick Pitino encouraged his son to become Xavier's next head coach
Continue reading...
"That would be the singular thing I've learned," Pitino said Tuesday at his introductory press conference. "To get everybody to scratch and claw and band together to get a win, then do it again. There's no better, fiercer competitor."
Pitino will now feel his father's cutthroat coaching tactics twice a year when Xavier and St. John's face off during the 2025-26 regular season. It'll be the same feeling the two share when battling on the links.
"We're both bad golfers," Pitino said. "You would think it's Sunday at The Masters when we play."
'Team effort.': How Xavier landed Richard Pitino as next head coach
Williams: Xavier Musketeers opt for new voice in hiring New Mexico's Richard Pitino
But Rick Pitino, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, had always encouraged his son to stay at New Mexico over the last few years when his name was frequently brought up during the coaching carousel.
"Every time I had an offer he'd say, 'stay at New Mexico,' " Pitino said. "He saw the way the community embraced me. He saw that we were winning. He saw how happy I was."
When Xavier expressed interest, it was different.
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"When Xavier called, he changed his tune," Pitino said. "He said, 'you've got to do that one. It just fits you.' "
The fit was too good. Pitino attended Providence College, a Catholic school like Xavier, and his father felt the basketball-crazed fanbase and community would easily embrace him. Plus, he was back in the Midwest and close to Louisville, where he spent two stints on his father's staff with the Cardinals, including a Final Four run in 2012.
"This was, by far, the one over any of the other ones," Pitino said. "Some had offered, some had not. This is the one he wanted me to take."
'He wants me to do my own thing'
This season, the Pitino family group chat primarily celebrated Rick's success in leading St. John's to its first Big East title since 1985.
"When we go beat San Diego State, nobody even texts me after the game because they're all sleeping," Pitino laughed. "They'd always tell me they'd watch the first couple of minutes then go to bed. I get it. They're all up late."
When he accepted the job at Xavier, Rick, who usually skips the Big East's spring meetings which are typically held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, asked Richard if he'd be in attendance.
"I said, 'I'm not like you, I'm not gonna skip the meetings,' " Pitino said. "He wants me to do my own thing."
Pitino understands that his last name is always going to draw headlines, but he's been able to build a career of his own over the last 13 seasons as a Division I head coach.
You must be registered for see images attach
"I do think I'm at a stage now where I did not get hired at Xavier because I'm Rick Pitino's son. Early in my career at Minnesota and FIU, I think New Mexico, as well, I was unproven. I think the body of work speaks for itself," Pitino said. "I'm not motivated by proving everybody wrong. I'm motivated by making this place even more special than it is right now.
"The only time I think about being Rick Pitino’s son is with the media or people coming up to you. It’s fine. It doesn’t upset me in any way. It doesn’t factor into what I’m trying to do professionally.”
Tempo, steals and sarcasm: What to expect from Richard Pitino-coached Xavier Musketeers
Getting to that point doesn't happen overnight when you're cast in a legend's shadow. That's why, after two seasons at Louisville on his father's staff, Pitino chose to join Billy Donovan's staff at the University of Florida in 2009 as a stepping-stone to carving his own path.
You must be registered for see images attach
"I just saw a man that everybody thought was a mini-Rick Pitino who was nothing like him," Pitino said. "He showed me I could do it my own way. There are similarities in the way they run a program. Not to say being different from my dad was a good thing. Just totally comfortable in the way he's doing it, in his own skin, in his own legacy. Honestly, it opened more doors for me. It was the greatest decision I've ever made."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Rick Pitino encouraged his son to become Xavier's next head coach
Continue reading...
