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Richard Pitino could become head coach at his father’s former school

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 6:50 PM ET

Richard Pitino may quite literally follow in his father’s footsteps with a new job.

Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 reported Tuesday that Pitino would “highly consider” leaving his current job at Xavier to take over at Providence. Rick Pitino coached at Providence from 1985 to 1987, and the Friars were the first team he took to the Final Four during his career.

Richard Pitino would “highly consider” leaving Xavier for Providence, source told @TheFieldOf68 and @GoodmanHoops

FULL COACHING CAROUSEL RUNDOWN: https://t.co/lApARTX4Eh pic.twitter.com/dyN8bCqRTm
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 24, 2026

Richard Pitino is in his first year coaching Xavier, where he is 12-12. He is coming off a highly successful stint with New Mexico State, and would clearly be drawn to Providence, perhaps because of the family ties.

The Friars still have a head coach in Kim English, but he is thought to be firmly on the hot seat amid a 12-15 campaign. Providence has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2023, when Ed Cooley was still their coach.

The Pitinos are already the first father-son duo in NCAA history to win a tournament game in the same year with different teams. If Richard Pitino were to land the Providence job, he would wind up coaching in the same conference as his father, who is also in the Big East with St. John’s.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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