Report: Minnesota hires Richard Pitino
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The University of Minnesota has reportedly hired Richard Pitino as the school's next men's basketball coach.
According to multiple reports -- including the StarTribune -- Pitino, the son of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, will replace Tubby Smith, who was fired on March 25 after six seasons.
The 30-year-old recently completed one season as the head coach at Florida International. He led the Panthers to an 18-14 record and an 11-9 mark in the Sun Belt Conference, which included an appearance in the tournament title game. It was FIU's first winning season in 13 years.
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Prior to his stint with the Panthers, Pitino spent the 2011-12 season with his father at Louisville and was the team's associate head coach. He also served as an assistant coach for the Cardinals from 2007-09 before joining the staff at Florida as an assistant from 2009-11. His other coaching stints include working at Duquesne and Northeastern.
Former Golden Gophers coach Smith, who was hired to lead Texas Tech's men's basketball program on Monday, led Minnesota to a record of 21-13 this past season, which concluded in the third round of the NCAA Tournament with a 78-64 loss to Florida.
The Gophers were 124-81 and never had a losing season under Smith, who signed a contract extension through the 2016-17 season last July.
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Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague has a history of success in hiring and working with young coaches -- including VCU's Shaka Smart and Alabama's Anthony Grant.