Rick Pitino’s son Richard shares similarities and differences between St. John’s HC and Hall of Famer coach Billy Donovan
Xavier's Richard Pitino has worked closely with his father, Rick Pitino, and the Chicago Bulls' Billy Donovan. He worked on Pitino's coaching staff at Louisville for three years and with Donovan for two seasons at the University of Florida.
With that, Richard noted the similarities and differences between the two coaches in an exclusive interview with "The Field Of 68: After Dark." In the video posted on Monday, he highlighted the mindsets and processes of the Hall-of-Famers.
"The similarity is a desire to compete at the highest, highest level," he said (at 11:58). "I say this in the best possible way, my dad thinks he knows everything. Not in a know-it-all way ... but he thinks his way is the way that's going to win. Now, it probably is right ... but he's got an unbelievable belief in himself and his plan and that is amazing to see."
"Coach Donovan will legitimately ask the janitor taking out his trash. 'Hey Johnny what do you think we should do versus Kentucky?' And I'll be like, 'Coach, what are you doing? You're Billy Donovan.' But he has a process of what it is he's trying to get to that's substantially different than my dad's.
"They both get to the same place, they just go in an extremely different direction."
Rick Pitino helped Richard Pitino make up his mind about the Xavier role
Richard Pitino was in a mix this offseason while interviewing for a new coaching role with multiple schools. In just four years, he built a culture with the New Mexico Lobos from the ground up. He led them to the Mountain West tournament title and multiple NCAA tournament appearances, ending a decade of absence.
So, when the opportunity to coach at Xavier came in, his dad, Rick Pitino, stepped in for the assist.
"When he told me he was offered the Xavier job and was talking with them, I said, 'Go!' Great place to raise your family, great city, Xavier has a great program," he said. "It's a winning program. He can develop his own style, his own identity."
Working under names like Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan, Richard Pitino has 13 years of head coaching experience in Division I. Before his time with New Mexico, he led Minnesota for eight years.