Mountain West coaching carousel: Richard Pitino leaves New Mexico for Xavier

One day after Minnesota lured Niko Medved away from Colorado State, New Mexico’s Richard Pitino agreed to become the new men’s basketball coach at Xavier.

Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 broke the news late Tuesday. 

Pitino guided the Lobos to a 27-8 overall record this year and the program’s first Mountain West Conference regular-season title since 2012-13. New Mexico upset Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Michigan State in the second round, 71-63. 

The Lobos went 88-49 overall in Pitino’s four seasons at the helm with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. New Mexico captured the 2024 MWC Tournament title. 

The 42-year-old Pitino may not be the only former Lobo heading to Xavier. Star point guard Donovan Dent, the MWC Player of the Year, and standout defensive guard Tru Washington are both in the transfer portal. 

Dent, a 6-foot-2 junior, was the only player in the country to average 20 or more points and six or more assists this season. Washington was an honorable mention all-MWC recipient who put up 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.1 steals. 

Pitino will replace Sean Miller, who left the Musketeers to be the new head coach at Texas. Xavier reached the NCAA Tournament this season, finishing 22-12 overall with a 13-7 mark in Big East play. 

The Big East will have two Pitinos next year as Richard’s dad, two-time national champion Rick Pitino, is the head coach at St. John’s. 

New Mexico is one of three MWC teams that will have new coaches next season. 

After leading Colorado State to the MWC Tournament title and the NCAA Tournament round of 32, Medved left for Minnesota. Lead assistant Ali Farokhmanesh is considered the favorite to replace Medved. 

Josh Pastner is taking over for Kevin Kruger at UNLV. Kruger did not reach the NCAA Tournament during his four seasons with the Runnin’ Rebels, compiling a 76-55 overall record. 

Pastner’s previous stops include Georgia Tech (2016-23) and Memphis (2009-16). 

Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun was a top candidate for the West Virginia job, but Calhoun is sticking with the Aggies. 

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Calhoun agreed to a new five-year contract that will pay him $1.85 million per year beginning next season. The contract includes annual raises for Calhoun and Utah State’s assistant coaches. 

In his first season with Utah State, Calhoun led the Aggies to a 26-8 record and the program’s third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance — all with a different coach. 

Calhoun will be the second-highest-paid coach in the MWC behind San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher.