Richard Pitino—the Big Ten’s youngest head coach at 33 years old—started his third year as Gophers basketball coach last night in an exhibition game win against Minnesota Crookston at Williams Arena. In his first season the Gophers probably exceeded expectations, winning 25 games including the NIT championship in New York. Last year preseason predictions had the Gophers finishing among the top five or six teams in the Big Ten Conference but instead Minnesota landed near the bottom with a 6-12 league record.
Ask the experts what awaits the 2015-2016 Gophers and the stock answer is this: “Not so good.” The consensus is Minnesota lacks the talent to do much better than ninth or 10th in the standings. The Gophers have three starters returning from last year’s team but those players have plenty to prove, and the same can be said for the newcomers on the roster.
Pitino, with a two-year Big Ten record of 14-22 and no NCAA Tournament appearances yet, knows he needs to enhance his results. He came to Minnesota with just one season of previous head coaching experience—at Florida International where his 18-14 team had the school’s first winning year since 1999-2000. Seen as a guy with East Coast roots and the son of coaching legend Rick Pitino, there’s been speculation since coming to Minneapolis that Richard will treat the Gophers as a stepping stone.
But in an exclusive interview with Sports Headliners, Pitino talked about his commitment to Minnesota—along with many other subjects. Pitino was personable and thorough during a visit in his office where he discussed the coming season, what he learned from close losses last season, the long-term potential of his program and whether the Gophers are going to host a game with his father’s Louisville Cardinals.
The following interview also included subjects beyond basketball to provide readers insights about Pitino the person, not just the coach. His responses have partially been edited for brevity and clarity.
You can bet this about the 2015-2016 Gophers: I would hope that we compete regardless of the circumstances at the highest possible level—and play as hard as we possibly can. Get the most out of our abilities individually and…as a team. (I) would hope that we’re playing our best basketball at the end of the year, not at the beginning.
Who are the players vital to Minnesota’s success this season? Probably the six returners (Charles Buggs, Gaston Diedhiou, Joey King, Bakary Konaté, Nate Mason and Carlos Morris). I would say those guys are extremely important because they played last year, so they know what to expect. It’s crucial that they take the next steps and get the younger guys better, and get them…ready for what’s coming.
What did you learn as a coach last season losing nine games by six points or less? I think the one thing I’ve taken out of it is do a better job of preparing your guys. Getting your guys to prepare for the fact that it’s not (always) going to go your way. …It’s how do you respond to that adversity, and that’s something we’re really, really working on a lot.
What will it take to eventually win a Big Ten championship? And even multiple Big Ten championships? Stability would be one (thing). You look at the programs that have been good every single year, there’s stability, (and) there’s continuity from the (school) president all the way down to the head coach, assistant coaches and strength coach. That is so crucial. (Also) great recruiting, and not just one class but three, four, five classes to where you get great stability…because unfortunately you deal with injuries.
What’s the likelihood of Minnesota winning a Big Ten championship in the next five years? As a coach you don’t really think that way, but that’s something that we’re building towards, and that’s a dream of ours…to do it. I think we’re moving in that direction. We know there’s a lot of great teams, there’s a lot of great programs. In order for us to do it, we’re going to have to be a really strong program and that’s something we’re moving towards.
People who think I won’t be at Minnesota long-term should know: They probably don’t know how much I love it here. My wife loves it here, our kids (too). I think the biggest thing is there is no reason why we can’t win and win big here. It just takes time. I am really enjoying the journey getting towards that.
If you were a Gopher player what would you think of coach Pitino? He’s a guy who is really, really eager to build this (program) into a powerhouse. Really wants to do it together. Very fair, very honest about the right things, and extremely hard worker.
What’s your worst personal habit? Probably drink too much coffee.
What is a perfect meal? My wife—once in a blue moon—will cook a chicken, broccoli and ziti (dinner). I can’t eat that a lot because I gotta fit into my suits, but that would be my favorite meal.
What really makes you laugh? I turn on “Seinfeld” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on the DVR, and I laugh before I go to bed. I do that almost every night.
When can fans expect a game against Louisville and your father Rick in Minneapolis? I don’t know if it will ever happen—to be honest with you. We did it once and it was great (2014 neutral site game in Puerto Rico). …I am not so sure if we’ll do it (schedule Louisville) because I like kind of having him on our team. I like having my family always on my team, just like we’re on his team.
What is the hardest thing about your job? Getting young college athletes to block out all the distractions and just focus. Cell phones are just consuming people’s lives. (I want the players) to not worry about what people are saying about them on Twitter (and) Instagram, and just focus solely on the team. We live in a distraction- filled world. That’s probably the biggest obstacle we’re trying to overcome. (Also) get them to be patient. That’s very difficult for everyone.
What’s the easiest thing about your job? The easy thing is coming to work every single day and being excited about what we’re doing. I don’t know how many times I say…to my wife how much I love living here. How much I love working at the University of Minnesota. How much I love our team, our staff.
How would you summarize your basketball philosophy? Our goal is to attack offensively, attack defensively. Kind of have that mentality of playing up-tempo, playing fast. Speeding up our opponent is something that we’re really striving to do. Making them uncomfortable, as well as being able to operate in some kind of organized chaos. In order to do (all) that you have to have great athletes. You’ve (also) got to have great length, and that’s something we’re moving towards.
How will the new basketball practice facility help the program? It shows people locally and nationally that we mean business. Anytime you invest that amount of money, it shows commitment. It shows that you want to compete with all these other teams. Certainly from a day-to-day standpoint for the players, you now have everything under one roof. …It’s going to elevate our program.
If you have any down time what do you like to do? Family and golf would be the two things that I love to do. (Family consists of wife Jill, four-year-old Ava and one-year-old Jack.)
What’s your lucky charm? Probably my kids. I think when I see them I know I am lucky. Kids don’t care if you win or lose.
What is your favorite movie of all-time? It’s gotta be the “Godfather.”
What’s your favorite music? What I do a lot in the morning is I type Tom Petty, Pandora (Internet Radio). I kind of like that genre of the Tom Pettys of the world—Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band. I am kind of open to everything. I love listening to music. Gets your mind off of other things (and) puts you in a good mood.
Four people from history—or alive today—you would most want to invite to dinner: You have to go Jesus (first). Derek Jeter is an athlete that I’ve always kind of admired from afar and I wouldn’t mind spending some time with him. Martin Luther King would be one, just the courage…during that time. It’s always been something that I really, really admired. Lastly, it would have to be Larry David (producer and comic) because I think the guy is absolutely hilarious. He would definitely be the comedic part of the dinner.
What are three favorite college basketball arenas where you have coached? The Breslin Center (Michigan State) was the most impressive college environment I’ve been in. Rupp Arena, where Kentucky plays, (has) got some tradition, obviously. I think Williams Arena has got such a charm about it, such a mystique. It reminds me of the Wrigley Field of college basketball.