Report: Richard Pitino unlikely to return as Minnesota's head coach next season
Minnesota may soon be on the market for a new head basketball coach.
Henry Lake of WCCO Radio in Minneapolis reported over the weekend that Richard Pitino will coach the remainder of this season, but will not be returning to lead the Golden Gophers next year. He also reported that Pitino met with athletic director Mark Coyle on Friday, though details regarding the meeting were unknown.
The Gophers are currently in the middle of a five-game losing streak. After spending time ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and seemingly a lock for the NCAA tournament, Minnesota has fallen on hard times recently. After an upset win over No. 24 Purdue on Feb. 11, Minnesota has lost games to Maryland, Indiana, No. 5 Illinois, Northwestern and Nebraska.
A source told me yesterday that Gophers coach Richard Pitino and athletic director Mark Coyle met on Friday, and that Pitino looked dismayed leaving the meeting. #Gophers
— Henry Lake (@lakeshow73) February 28, 2021
I have now been told via a different source that Coach Pitino will NOT return to Dinkytown and will coach out the rest of this season. #Gophers
— Henry Lake (@lakeshow73) February 28, 2021
Earlier this month, Minnesota was sitting at 13-7 on the year and 6-7 in B1G play. Now, the Gophers are just one game above .500 at 13-12 and 6-12 in the league.
A bid to the NCAA tournament looks bleak unless Minnesota can string together some wins to close out the season and enjoy a deep run in the B1G Tournament. At this point, though, the Gophers may have to win the event to earn a spot.
Minnesota’s final two games are against Penn State and Rutgers before the B1G Tournament next week.
Pitino is in his eighth season as the head coach at Minnesota. He’s posted a record of 140-120 with two NCAA tournament appearances and an NIT championship. However, the Gophers are a disappointing 54-94 in B1G play under Pitino’s leadership and they’ve only posted one winning season in conference competition, finishing 11-7 in 2016-17.