Richard Pitino says there is “zero truth” to a report that said there’s a possibility he could soon work as an assistant coach under his father Rick Pitino at UNLV.
“I’ve done three years of hard time working for him (Rick Pitino); I don’t want to go back to that,” Pitino said during his weekly show with 1500 ESPN.
This embed is invalid
A weekend story out of the Las Vegas-Review Journal tied Pitino and his father, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, to the vacant coaching seat at UNLV. The report said the elder Pitino might be looking to get out of an uncomfortable situation at Louisville and UNLV would be the place with enough cash to make him happy, while adding:
“It might also offer a future for Pitino’s son. The source who stated Pitino’s interest in the job also said he might want to include Richard Pitino, who is struggling in his third season at Minnesota, on his staff and tap him as the Rebels’ coach-in-waiting.
Richard Pitino, 33, is a promising coach and potential star, but he’s stuck at a bottom-tier Big Ten program in a situation that appears hopeless.”
Pitino added that he doesn’t think his father would bolt Louisville for a job at UNLV.
Rick Pitino has been under the gun since one of his former staffers was accused of holding parties with strippers in Louisville dorms for visiting recruits. Pitino has denied any knowledge of the alleged parties.
The Gophers are 6-12 this season and 0-6 in the Big Ten. Up next is a game Wednesday at Michigan.
