Changes are on the horizon for the Xavier Musketeers. Coach Sean Miller? He’s off to Texas. His replacement? The son of the coach who just proved himself as the best in their conference this year. Yes! The Musketeers have hired Richard Pitino to take over. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Xavier’s front office. Instead of being excited about the Pitino’s locking horns, the Musketeers fans are showing signs of frustration.

Richard is the reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year.He takes over at Xavier after four strong years at New Mexico, where he led the Lobos to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. This season, New Mexico went 27-8 before falling to Michigan State, 71-63, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Xavier is one of the great brands in all of college basketball. It has always been a dream of mine to coach in the Big East. The Cintas Center is going to be rocking. I can’t wait to get to work,” said Pitino, expressing his delight at joining the program.

But not everyone is on board with the hire. Fans weren’t too thrilled about the 42-year-old coach taking over. They took to social media to voice their frustration. Let’s dive into some of the takes.

Fans fume as Xavier front office hire Richard Pitino

Fans didn’t hold back their frustration. One fan took to X to slam the hire, saying, “That’s a really bad hire for Xavier. Wow. Chris Mack passed on the gig and Richard Pitino has only been good at the mid major level. Very risky. I guess it does make sense no big names were interested in a small time program though. They won’t even have enough $ for Dent to follow. Roster already decimated. Probably the next DePaul sadly.”

Let’s get one thing straight. Richard Pitino isn’t as bad as fans are making him out to be. In four seasons at New Mexico, he went 88-49. Two NCAA Tournament berths. A Mountain West Tournament title. A regular-season championship. An NIT appearance. He’s got a solid résumé. But his prior stint at Minnesota (2013-2021) offers a cautionary tale: an overall 141-123 record but a 54-96 Big Ten mark, with only two NCAA appearances in eight years before his firing in 2021. While New Mexico thrived under his fast-paced style, the Mountain West lacks the depth of the Big East, home to powers like UConn and Marquette. But is the Big East too big of a leap? Maybe. This is only his second shot at a power conference job. The challenge ahead is real.

One name that could follow Pitino to Xavier? Donovan Dent. The star guard just entered the transfer portal after averaging 20 points per game this season. He’d be a massive addition to the Musketeers’ roster. But can they afford him? Calling Xavier the next DePaul feels like a stretch. DePaul hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2004. Meanwhile, Xavier made an Elite Eight just a few years ago and punched their ticket to the dance this year as well.

It is clear that Pitino wasn’t the fans first choice. It was their former head coach Chris Mack. One fan on X said,” Chris Mack — the guy I wanted for the job — was the safe hire. Richard Pitino was the risky hire.” Mack was the last coach to lead the Musketeers to an Elite Eight. But he made it clear—he’s staying at Charleston. That decision left the door wide open for Pitino to come in.

But there’s another dilemma for Xavier fans. Coaches leave their program to join the bigger ones. One fan took to X to say,“Richard Pitino will go down as another one of the great coaches at Xavier. Unfortunately like all the others he will leave for more money eventually but I’m ok with that.”

Sean Miller has left Xavier for the second time, this time for a bigger job at Texas. Before him, Chris Mack–the program’s winningest coach with 215 victories left for Louisville. The pattern is clear. Coaches move on when better opportunities arise, often due to Xavier’s financial limitations. Will Richard Pitino follow the same path? That depends on his performance. If he delivers, the critics will have their answer.