“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,” said Richard Pitino in an official statement after joining the Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball team. Having represented 8 teams over the course of his 2 decades in the college basketball coaching world, change is not something new for the 42-year-old.
Unfortunately, it is not something that players and fans of his former team would always accept willingly. Therefore, amidst the coach’s recent decision to join Xavier and bring his 4-year-long journey as head coach of the New Mexico Lobos to an end, not everyone associated with the latter would be happy. Therefore, it would certainly not help their mood once they got to know about the most recent update regarding Richard Pitino’s exit.
According to reporter Geoff Grammer, Richard Pitino reportedly plans to take the entire coaching staff of the New Mexico Lobos with him to Xavier. This includes assistant coaches Isaac Chew, Tarvish Felton, Aaron Katsuma, Dave Pilipovich, etc. Not only has the offer been reportedly made to them, but they have also willingly accepted!
Richard Pitino plans to take (and they’ve accepted) the entire coaching staff with him — assistant coaches Isaac Chew, Tarvish Felton, Aaron Katsuma, Dave Pilipovich — with him to play at Xavier.
Isaac Chew, of course, will be a candidate for the head coaching job at UNM.
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) March 26, 2025
There are some doubts about what this update means for Isaac Chew. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Chew is currently amongst the top 10 names being considered for the head coaching job at UNM. Aka, the team is considering the assistant coach as Richard Pitino’s replacement. Keeping Chew in New Mexico would not only keep some old blood in the team, it could also help with some player retention. After all, as the associate head coach, Chew was the primary recruiting coordinator in all four seasons with Pitino.
While Chew would have some loyalty associated with Pitino, the head coach is always bigger than an assistant head coach. At the same time, there is a chance that a Pitino-led Xavier has a better chance of competing well in Conference tournament titles and March Madness. In the end, the final decision will be Isaac Chew’s.
The assistant coaching staff will not be the only one following Pitino to Cincinnati. Director of Operations Peyton Stephens and video coordinator Danny Walters will also be going along. According to the Albuquerque Journal, all of the coaches have contracts that run through March 31st. However, they will most likely leave before the deals expire. After all, Pitino and Co. need to start recruiting for the Musketeers soon.
The Journal revealed that the four assistant coaches had a combined salary of $690,000 for this season. The figure would have increased in the offer UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo made to Pitino to stay with the program. Therefore, the salaries of the coaches with Xavier would be equal to that new offer or more.
By this move, Richard Pitino has essentially stripped away a major part of the New Mexico Lobos team. The exit of the head coach itself was painful enough. After all, Pitino had led the Lobos to a Mountain West tournament championship in the 2023-24 season for the first time since 2014, a Mountain West regular season championship in the 2024-25 season for the first time since 2013, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and the team’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2012.
Pitino had three seasons with over 20 wins, and the team’s record reportedly improved during each year of his tenure. Now, he is leaving the program with an overall record of 88-49 and taking the other coaches with him. Feel as if the news could not get any worse? Well, then add the fact that even the players are jumping ship now.
2 Key New Mexico Lobo players enter transfer portal amid Richard Pitino and coaching staff’s exit
The NCAA Transfer Portal opened once again on Monday for 30 days. For college players, the annual portal provides the chance to seek a better opportunity and fit for their athletic careers. Whether the players feel they can thrive with a better roster or are dissatisfied with any coaching or unexpected management changes, they have the option to change their team and college by April 22. As of now, over 1,000 players have entered the portal, including 2 that would not bode well with the New Mexico Lobos squad.
According to Kob 4, the situation for the New Mexico Lobos has worsened with the revelation that Donovan Dent and Tru Washington have made the decision to awail this NCAA policy. The 2 players decided only days after the Lobos lost to the Michigan State Spartans by a 71-63 score and were eliminated from March Madness.
Donovan Dent might be the best player to ever enter the transfer portal.
The sweepstakes for this man will be cinema
— Nick Bracketology (CBB guru) (@nickbateman33) March 25, 2025
247 Sports has already speculated that Dent could head to Xavier to link up with Richard Pitino and the assistant coaching staff. The coach would be more than happy to have the young talent in his new squad. After all, Dent reportedly led the Lobos in scoring during the recent college season as he averaged 20.4 points. On top of that, he averaged 6.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds over the course of 35 games.
Dent was 12th in the nation in points per game and 13th in assists per game, as highlighted by the NCAA. His contribution to the regular-season championship and the Lobos’ appearance in the NCAA Tournament was quite prominent. Therefore, if Dent goes to Xavier, Lobos fans might literally revolt against Pitino.
As for Washington, the sophomore guard led the Lobos in overall steals (71) only a season after he set UNM’s freshman record for steals (49). In the recent most season, Washington was second in overall assists (65) and averaged 11.1 points per game, the third-most out of the other players.
The post New Mexico Gets Another Reason to Hate Richard Pitino With New Xavier Update appeared first on EssentiallySports.
