Richard Pitino, Wyking Jones Join Men's Basketball Staff
April 26, 2011 | Men's Basketball
April 26, 2011
Rick Pitino Audio
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino has filled two assistant coaching positions on his staff.
Richard Pitino, an assistant men's basketball coach for the past two years at the University of Florida and son of Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino, has returned to the U of L staff as associate coach; and Wyking Jones (pronounced WHY-king), an assistant basketball coach for the past two seasons at the University of New Mexico, has joined the Cardinals in a similar capacity. Richard served as an assistant with the Cardinals from 2007-09.
"Richard has worked tirelessly since the time he was a college student," said Rick Pitino. "He fills a much needed void left by Steve Masiello, who handled chief scouting duties and game preparation for our team. Richard will have a lot on his plate as we indoctrinate a new staff into all aspects of Cardinal Basketball. We're excited to have him return to our staff, as he helped us reach two Elite Eights and two BIG EAST Championships."
"I'm excited about the opportunity to be back at the University of Louisville," said Richard Pitino. "The two years I had there working under Tom Jurich and my father were memorable. I'm excited about working with this current team and in the future development of Louisville Basketball. I am eager to get started."
Richard has developed into one of the top young assistants and recruiters in the nation with a reputation as a tireless worker and a comprehensive, detailed scout. He worked at Florida under head coach Billy Donovan, who 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 his father.
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In his two seasons with the Gators, Florida was a combined 50-20 with back-to back NCAA Tournament appearances, including reaching the 2011 NCAA Southeast Regional finals before falling to NCAA runner-up Butler. The Gators won the 2011 Southeastern Conference championship and had a 29-7 overall record, ranking 10th in the final ESPN/USA Today poll and 15th by AP.
Richard has continued to be an integral part of successful programs. 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 top 15 recruiting classes each year. Louisville won the 2009 BIG EAST Conference regular season and tournament championships, finished with a 31-6 record and was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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 their victories from a year prior to his 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 Friars men's basketball team. In his junior year, Providence reached the school's highest national ranking of No. 12 (AP) and earned an 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 and they have one daughter Ava Catherine, born April 25.
"Wyking has the experience necessary to help us recruit top-notch student-athletes from all 50 states," said Pitino. "He is highly regarded in all circles as a tireless worker and an outstanding communicator with young people. I had asked Richard to provide me the top five assistant coaching candidates in the country and I would interview them. Immediately he had Wyking at the top of the list. After considerable research, it was apparent that he had all of the characteristics necessary to bring to Cardinal Basketball."
"I'm very excited to be joining the Louisville family," said Jones. "I've been a fan of Coach Pitino for as long as I can remember. I've always admired him as a coach and after spending time with him, admire him as a great person. I'm very much looking forward to joining his staff."
During Jones' two years at New Mexico under head coach Steve Alford, the Lobos produced a combined 52-18 record. The 2009-10 New Mexico team won a school-record 30 games (30-5 record), won the Mountain West Conference Championship and was ranked eighth in the final AP poll.
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Before joining the New Mexico staff, Jones spent two years as a basketball travel team manager with Nike Elite Youth Basketball. There he managed all 45 travel teams and the tournaments that Nike sponsored in its grassroots youth program while he built key relationships across the nation.
Prior to his stint at Nike, Jones worked five seasons (2002-06) as an assistant to head coach Paul Westphal at Pepperdine, where he served as recruiting coordinator before his departure. In his first season there, the Waves were 22-9 and tied Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference regular season title with a 13-1 league mark.
Jones played professional basketball in five different countries between 1995-2001 in Italy, France, Japan, Lebanon and South Korea.
Jones lettered four years at Loyola Marymount for head coach John Olive (1991-95), totaling 1,076 points and 493 rebounds in his career to rank among the school's top 25 all-time scorers. He emerged as a junior through a staunch work ethic and unassuming manner to earn all-West Coast Conference honors as a junior in 1993-94. He was chosen as the Lions' Student-Athlete of the Year that year when he averaged 19.7 points and eight rebounds a game.
Jones' junior season was highlighted by a 39-point, 16-rebound, five-block effort against San Francisco. He scored 20 or more points on 12 occasions with eight double-doubles, including grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds against Oral Roberts. He was an honorable mention all-WCC selection as a senior when he averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Lions.
Jones earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount in 1995. He served as a Lions' assistant coach during the 1996-97 season.
Jones also has acting experience. He had movie parts in "The Wood," "Brown Sugar" and "The Benchwarmers," and has also appeared in television commercials.
Jones, and his wife, Estrella, have a son, Jameel, and a daughter, Zoe.
The newcomers arrive after recent departures of assistants Steve Masiello, who became head coach at Manhattan College, and Tim Fuller, who left for a similar position at Missouri. Current U of L assistant coach Mark Lieberman also will move to the Cardinals' Director of Basketball Operations position, creating another opening left for Pitino to fill.
