UNM head basketball coach Richard Pitino offers skills and lessons to Eddy County coaches
High school basketball coaches across southeast New Mexico had the opportunity to learn basketball and life lessons from the head men’s basketball coach at the University of New Mexico (UNM) during a visit to Artesia.
Richard Pitino spent nearly three hours on Monday fielding questions from coaches as part of an outreach program from UNM Athletics known as Lobos on the Road.
Pitino and UNM head football coach Danny Gonzales met with coaches during individual sessions. The visit wrapped up with a public reception at the Artesia Country Club.
“We didn’t get a lot of X’s and O’s today,” said Artesia head girls’ basketball coach Jeff Houghtaling, “but probably some better stuff than that.”
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Houghtaling graduated in 1992 from Artesia High School and played football at UNM from 1994 to 1996, according to a UNM football media guide. “He’s a treasure chest of good information,” Houghtaling said of Pitino.
The upcoming 2023-24 season marks Pitino’s 12th season as a head coach. He has won nearly 200 games, a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship and two NCAA appearances, according to the UNM basketball website.
Pitino came to UNM after coaching for eight years at the University of Minnesota in the Big 10.
He went 141-123 during his tenure with the Golden Gophers and was fired in 2021 after two straight losing seasons.
“I ended up out of a job for 15 minutes,” Pitino said. He was named the 22nd head coach of the Lobos on March 16, 2023.
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“This profession even though it can be hard. It can break you down at times,” he said. “I jumped at it (the UNM job).”
The upcoming season marks Pitino’s third in Albuquerque. During his first season at UNM, the Lobos had a seven-win improvement from the previous season — UNM’s record was 6-16 at the end of the 2021 basketball season; Pitino’s first season the Lobos finished at 13-19.
This past season UNM finished with a 22-12 overall record and an 8-10 record in the Mountain West Conference.
Pitino has served as an assistant or head coach for nearly 20 years now. He emphasizes to players and incoming recruits not everyone will play professional basketball once their eligibility has ended.
“Every player is different. You need to know how you’re going to help them,” he said before adding, “Every kid that has stayed and played with me has graduated.”
Houghtaling said he plans to implement some items brought up by Pitino during the visit.
“He talked a lot about clarity,” Houghtaling said. “I’m a big proponent of clarity.”
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Pitino is the son of St. John’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino. The elder Pitino has led teams to 28 postseason trips. He also led the University of Kentucky to the national championship in 1996.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: UNM head basketball coach Richard Pitino speaks to coaches in Artesia
