Richard Pitino might not have been the first choice by Minnesota to replace Tubby Smith, and questions about favoritism could follow him the rest of his career.
A day after his son Richard Pitino agreed to become the next head coach at Minnesota, Rick Pitino proclaimed the 30-year-old up-and-comer “more than ready” for the challenge.
Minnesota has picked Richard Pitino, the son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, to take over for Tubby Smith.
He will take over for interim coach Chris Walker, who went 11-20 this season and 3-15 in Big 12 play. The program is still reeling from Billy Gillispie's volatile one-year tenure, which ended when he resigned in September.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were ranked as high eighth in the country, and then they weren't ranked at all. They beat No. 1 Indiana, and then they lost to Nebraska.
There's a good bit of luck involved with office pools. Going in, you need to accept the fact that the guy next to you who knows nothing about basketball, who picks his teams based on which coaches wear glasses or which school is closer to his Mom's house, has a solid chance of finishing higher than you.
The top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 is the last place any team wants to be this season.
Tubby Smith drew some criticism in his first five seasons in Minnesota for a substitution pattern that often looked more like a hockey philosophy.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has overturned a $1 million award against the University of Minnesota and men's basketball coach Tubby Smith over the hiring of an assistant coach.
