Big STrib profile: Richard Pitino: Like father, like son ... to a point

[BleedGopher]

per the STrib:

“People ask me all the time, ‘Was it tough being Rick Pitino’s son?’ ” Richard said. “And it’s not. I’m extremely proud to be his son. I’m extremely fortunate to be his son. I embrace it every single day. I would be silly to hide from it.”

Richard got his start as a student at Providence College, working as a high school assistant at St. Andrew’s School in Rhode Island.

“I found it a little strange to be honest with you,” Rick joked. “While everyone else is going to parties, he’s coaching high school basketball.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/230375421.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!

 

[Angry]

Excellence from Minnesota sports writers is not allowed Amelia. We've heard only drivel for so many years you might cause people to have an aneurysm.

 

[joshvanklomp]

There are two points in this article that go against the reasoning of him taking over for Rick once he retires:

1.

“I actually fought it a little bit at first,” Richard said of leaving Louisville, and his father. “I was like ‘Why would I do that — I’m with you.’ ”

Looking back, Richard sees it as the period when he truly found himself as a coach. Under Donovan, Pitino got his first taste of the bright lights away from his dad — his coaching style and mindset continuing to evolve as he worked under another living legend.

“He knows he can’t be his dad — he’s not going to try to be his dad,” Donovan said. “Richard is very comfortable and secure in who he is and what he can do … he’s got to go out and carve his own path.”

Had he stayed at Louisville, he probably would be coach-in-waiting. But now that he's out of his father's shadow, would he really want to go back into it?

2.

Even now, the Gophers coach seeks his father’s thoughts, even as his father now also seeks his.

The deep-seeded kinship explains why Richard seems hesitant to rush to become adversaries, with so many calling for a Louisville-Gophers matchup.

“I differ on it — I’m not sure if I want it, I don’t want it,” Richard said after a recent practice. “I think it would be great for all of us, and I think it would be a fun game to play. But I want him to have an impact on this program, and I want to be able to talk to him about certain things. I don’t ever want to feel like we have to hide things from each other.”

The bolded tells me that he's not focused on getting back to Louisville. He wants to turn this program into a perennial contender.

 

[MadtownGopher]

I came here to post the same thing. I think he truly believes Minnesota can be a power house program. I think he really likes that it is the only program in the state, which before he came here, I hadn't ever really thought about. That is a huge advantage, especially with the way the state has been churning out talent as of late.