Assistant Coach Richard Pitino Joins Florida Staff
April 20, 2009 | Men's Basketball
April 20, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Richard Pitino, an assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville and son of Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino, has accepted a similar position at the University of Florida under head coach Billy Donovan.
Donovan played under Rick Pitino at Providence for two seasons, including the 1986-87 season when the Friars reached the NCAA Final Four. Donovan also served as an assistant coach at Kentucky under Pitino.
"Richard and I have been talking this possibility over for the last two weeks," said Rick Pitino. "Billy is like a son to me and there's no other person in the country that I would rather have Richard work with than him. We both agree that this a unique opportunity for Richard to develop his own identity while helping Billy build his program back to national prominence. Richard has done an unbelievable job in his recruiting efforts. I'm so proud of what he has accomplished over the last two years at Louisville. I'm excited and very happy for him to have this opportunity to continue to grow as a basketball coach under one of the best coaches in the game. We will take our time in filling this position on our staff."
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with Coach Donovan at Florida" said Richard Pitino. "I've known him my whole life and feel like he's a part of our family. Moving on will give me an opportunity to be a part of another one of the nation's top progams and I'm thrilled to work with one of the best coaches in the nation as well. I'm proud of what we accomplished and thoroughly enjoyed my time during my two years at Louisville while working for my father. Now, I'm dedicated to continue to build on what has already been accomplished with the Gators."
In his two years with the Cardinals, U of L produced a combined 58-15 record, reached the NCAA Elite Eight both seasons, and his efforts helped the Cards land a top 15 recruiting classes each year.
Richard worked as an assistant coach under Ron Everhart at Duquesne for one year prior to joining the U of L staff. He helped the Dukes more than triple its victories from a year prior to their arrival, posting a 10-18 record in 2006-07 after inheriting a team that had won just three of its 27 games.
Richard also worked with Everhart one year at Northeastern (2005-06) when the Huskies built a 19-11 record and 12-6 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Richard served as an administrative assistant under Tom Herrion at the College of Charleston during the Cougars' 18-10 season in 2004-05.
Richard, who earned his bachelor's degree in history at Providence College in 2005, spent two seasons as a manager for the Friar's men's basketball team. In his junior year, Providence reached the school's highest national ranking of No. 12 (AP) and earned the school's 15th NCAA Tournament appearance.
While at Providence, Richard also served as an assistant coach at Saint Andrew's School in Barrington, R.I. for two years. In his first season, the team finished the year ranked 25th in the nation by USA Today and won the New England Prep School Championship. He is married to the former Jill Urbanus.
