Richard Pitino (photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
Richard Pitino received a contract extension after guiding Minnesota to the best single-season turnaround in the country last season.
Pitino gets one more year added to contract
Pitino’s pact was extended by one season on Wednesday and runs through the 2021-22 campaign, the school announced. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed for the 34-year-old, who is the son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino.
The Golden Gophers answered an eight-win season in 2015-16 by finishing the following campaign with a 24-10 mark. They ended up as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“Since I came back to Minnesota as the AD last May, I have been impressed with Coach Pitino and his management of our men’s basketball program,” athletic director Mark Coyle said. “I’ve seen accountability, commitment and focus from every student-athlete and member of the men’s basketball staff, led by Coach Pitino. The team’s success on the court this year generated a lot of excitement on campus and around the state. I’m looking forward to much more of that with Coach Pitino leading our program.”
Pitino was just as pleased with working with Coyle.
“My family and I love living in the Twin Cities and look forward to continuing to build a strong men’s basketball program on and off the court,” Pitino said. “I have loved getting to know and working with Mark Coyle this past year. Mark and President (Eric) Kaler’s commitment to athletics is second to none. The future of Gopher basketball is very bright and I am excited to be a part of it.”
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