Richard Pitino replaces Sean Miller as Xavier basketball head coach

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WATCH: Xavier’s season ends in NCAA Tournament loss to Illinois

Xavier’s season came to an end in Milwaukee Friday night after an 86-73 loss to No. 6 Illinois at Fiserv Forum.

Shortly after learning that Charleston head coach Chris Mack would not return as the Xavier Musketeers’ head coach, Xavier fans found out Richard Pitino is replacing Sean Miller for the Muskies.

Pitino, the 42-year-old son of St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino, led New Mexico to a 27-8 record, and a Mountain West regular-season title with a record of 17-3. The Lobos won their first-round matchup with Marquette before falling to Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“Xavier is one of the great brands in all of college basketball,” Pitino said, per a Xavier release. “It has always been a dream of mine to coach in the Big East. The Cintas Center is going to be rocking. I can’t wait to get to work.”

The Lobos’ leading scorer, junior point guard Donovan Dent, entered college basketball’s transfer portal earlier in the day.

Pitino has been New Mexico’s head coach since 2021. He was Minnesota’s head coach from 2013 to 2021, and FIU’s head coach in 2012-13.

When Minnesota fired Pitino, the Golden Gophers replaced him with then-XU assistant Ben Johnson. Minnesota parted ways with Johnson last week after four seasons.

Social media reactions to the XU head-coaching hire:

And Pitino’s tweet from Monday:

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Source link : https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/2025/03/25/richard-pitino-replaces-sean-miller-xavier-basketball-head-coach-new-mexico-minnesota/82664058007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-26 02:24:00

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