Rick Pitino will insistently weigh in on his son’s coaching decisions, have his assistants keep track when he is busy himself, and fly miles to cheer on his big tournament moment. But when it’s time for the Pitinos to face each other, it is all business. “I don’t think he’s going to have a problem wanting to beat me when the game starts. I can promise you that,” Richard had admitted in 2014. Love, rooting, and competition, they have known all too well. Now, with growth, the Xavier HC wouldn’t mind another round of that, even if it meant going against his father’s words. More so, if it is coming with one ‘dream come true’ moment.

Richard has had one of his better runs as a New Mexico head coach. In just three years, he brought the Lobos to the Big Dance– the program’s first time in 10 years. He’d then follow it up with a round of 32 appearance in 2024-25, obliging his father to fly in after his own game to catch the action. Not to mention, the younger Pitino had managed an 88-49 record in his four years at the school. So, while all was going right, a move hardly seemed to be in sight for Richard or his father.

“I don’t necessarily listen to my dad because I am 42 years old, and I have my own family, and I kind of charted my own path. But he was always adamant–do not leave New Mexico!” the former Lobos coach revealed on Big East conference interview with John Fanta. But why did he end up moving?

Richard is all too familiar with the conference, thanks to his father’s stints and his own as an assistant coach under him during their Louisville run. If Xaviers’ offer meant he could move back to the league, translating into a big step up, he was taking it without a second thought.

“I am gonna be honest, I really loved New Mexico. I greatly appreciated the way they treated me and my family. But I just felt like the Big East, if I could have an opportunity to be there, it would be a dream come true,” he had admitted earlier during the conversation. “When this one popped up? It just felt right,” he added later.

The Pitinos have faced each other 4 times since Richard took on a head coaching position. Rick, of course, leads 3-1, with a sole loss coming in Iona. If you ask the former New Mexico coach, it is a happier family if he is the one on the winning side. “I think if I lose to him I’m going to be happy for him and if he loses to me we’re all going to be happy for each other,” he had said years ago as the family divided itself to cheer on for the two separately– Rick’s wife and daughter on Richard’s side, and his three sons on his. They will have to see a lot more of that now– 2 games a year, followed by a possible conference tourney matcup.

Moreover, the thing is, Xavier’s different. The opportunities are different, and the atmosphere is different. To play at such a high level, to compete at such a high level, would be the ultimate strength of character, and Rick Pitino recognized that fact!

But what exactly did Pitino Sr. say? What was the family’s thought process during the entire change?

“Go!”: Rick Pitino encouraged son to pursue change

The Big East is gearing up for an inevitable father-son matchup in this coming season. While there are storylines upon storyline in this entire conference, none pop out as much as the Pitino family. Richard made his way from New Mexico to Xavier, and it was one of the most complex changes imaginable.

But what kind of advice or support did he get from his dad? Well, Rick Pitino was adamantly against his son leaving New Mexico. “He was interviewed for a number of jobs and I got a little upset at him and said, ‘Richard. those jobs aren’t as good as New Mexico. You need to stay at New Mexico, you built something really, really special.” The Hall-of-Famer coach said in an interview with John Fanta. However, some schools definitely made the cut for Pitino.

For example, Xavier was the perfect job for the young Pitino, and his dad recognised it! “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.” Which was quite rare considering his views on teams that aren’t New Mexico. But Xavier is a different beast entirely.

Not to mention, that would put his son in the same conference as him, alongside close friend and former Maryland coach Kevin Willard. The Big East is about to get a whole lot more dramatic, and we can’t wait to see the action! Stay tuned for more updates.