Richard Pitino Era Obituary

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On Wednesday, February 26th, 2020, the Richard Pitino Era passed away with 1.9 seconds remaining in the contest against the Maryland Terrapins. After a long struggle with dismal shooting, stalled offensive possessions, defensive lapses, and depleted rosters, The Pitino era perished surrounded by shell-shocked fans, and a substandard BTN television audience.

The Richard Pitino era was born on April 3rd, 2013, in Miami, Florida, after Richard compiled an 18-14 record with the Florida International Panthers. A.D. Norwood Teague hired Richard as the successor to the recently deceased Tubby Smith Era. The Pitino Era was highlighted by an NIT championship, two NCAA tournament appearances, and one NCAA tournament win.

Richard will be remembered for his Twitter brilliance, his dry, self-deprecating humor, his honesty with the media, and his blog posts highlighting player development.

The Richard Pitino Era was proceeded in death by his professional father, Norwood, The Tubby Smith Era, the Dan Monson Era, and the casual gopher basketball fan. It is survived by A.D. Mark Coyle, the current student-athletes, and of course, the gopher basketball faithful.

A funeral service will be held at Williams Arena on Sunday, March 8th, at noon, in a matchup against Nebraska. The University Marketing Department has declared this game a “Black Out.” Professional dress is recommended. Noise should not be an issue.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to pay off the remaining $44 million Athletic Village balance.
 
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I think most Gopher fans including me want to see someone else come in to coach this team next year. My mind was made up after the Iowa game but I would be very surprised if Coyle wasn't looking very hard at his options right now.

Pitino will land on his feet somewhere especially due to his name but it will most likely be a step back, such as a mid-major. He is still young but he now has 7 years of Big Ten coaching experience behind him. Keeping him on another year is a mistake IMO - this would be a perfect time to get him out of there. It will require a major rebuild, especially if Oturu leaves as expected.
 

Pitino will never again be the head coach of another D1 basketball program.
 


USAF said:
Pitino will never again be the head coach of another D1 basketball program.
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Never say never -- he is still pretty young and there are a lot of D1 jobs out there. He could end up at a Florida International-type school or maybe even the broadcast booth. His next job won't be as good as what he just had though - it will be a step down for sure.
 

So I guess there is not going to be an official announcement today? Or we would’ve seen something by now.

When will he be fired then? After the season?
 


USAF said:
Pitino will never again be the head coach of another D1 basketball program.
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Of course he will. It might take a year or three as an assistant someplace, but he's a young guy. He will, however, have to actually earn another job in a major conference.
 




USAF said:
Pitino will never again be the head coach of another D1 basketball program.
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He will never again be a head coach at a program as major as Minnesota. Let's just put it this way, he and Tracy Claeys won't ever be hot commodities as head coaches anywhere near the level they were at.
 

MplsGopher said:
So I guess there is not going to be an official announcement today? Or we would’ve seen something by now.

When will he be fired then? After the season?
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Sarcasm? Did you really think it would happen today?
 







cjbfbp said:
Well, don't feel too badly for him. He will have made about $14 million here.
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Ha! That works out to about 333K for every Big Ten win. He did just fine! Plus throw in 2M just to buy out the rest of his contract! If you don't do it though, that attendance will continue to drop. It's under 10K a game as it is!
 

Gold Rush said:
Ha! That works out to about 333K for every Big Ten win. He did just fine! Plus throw in 2M just to buy out the rest of his contract! If you don't do it though, that attendance will continue to drop. It's under 10K a game as it is!
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If Claeys got booted in part because of attendance, having under 10K for a game against a top 10 team doesn't help Pitino's cause either.
 

I was somewhat surprised by the attendance last night. A game against a team like Maryland I thought attendance would have been higher. All the more reason to move on from Pitino.
 



howeda7 said:
I hope you're being sarcastic. Hiring your coach a month after everyone else does is how you get Tim Brewster.
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I would need commitment from Oturu like a day after the season ends before I would consider retaining Pitino.

Oturu is going to be absolute force next season. I would keep Pitino for one more season if DO stays
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I would need commitment from Oturu like a day after the season ends before I would consider retaining Pitino.

Oturu is going to be absolute force next season. I would keep Pitino for one more season if DO stays
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I don't disagree. But he's going to stay or go based on his own needs. I don't think he's less inclined to stay if John B. or Craig Smith is here.
 

If Oturo stays, then no way Pitino is gone. But I can't think of a single reason for Oturo to stay...so I expect Pitino to be gone in April when his buyout drops a few hundred K.

Really sad I like Pitino.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
If Oturo stays, then no way Pitino is gone. But I can't think of a single reason for Oturo to stay...so I expect Pitino to be gone in April when his buyout drops a few hundred K.

Really sad I like Pitino.
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Pitino is 100% gone even if Oturo stays. Unless they pull a miracle in the B10 Tourney.
 

Gold Rush said:
Ha! That works out to about 333K for every Big Ten win. He did just fine! Plus throw in 2M just to buy out the rest of his contract! If you don't do it though, that attendance will continue to drop. It's under 10K a game as it is!
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Well, I don't know the exact amount but my estimate did include his buyout. Yes, on a per win (or even game) basis he did very well.
 


LesBolstad said:
Pitino is 100% gone even if Oturo stays. Unless they pull a miracle in the B10 Tourney.
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I certainly hope you are right. I wanted him fired since the end of his third season but, like a mediocre television series, he periodically had a season good enough for him to hang on. Hopefully, he is now at the end of his rope and the AD won't postpone the inevitable any further. I'm not worried about a B10 tourney miracle.
 

If Coyle follows the same plan as he did when hiring Fleck, he will do the following: after final game, announce that the coaching job is being evaluated. Then, about a week later, announce that Pitino will not return. And a week after that, press conference to name the new coach. Coyle will not move until he has the new coach locked up.
 


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