Richard Pitino Named to Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List

ATLANTA – New Mexico’s Richard Pitino was one of 15 coaches named to the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday.

Pitino, in his fourth season at New Mexico, has led the Lobos to a 22-5 overall record and first place in the Mountain West with a 14-2 mark. Half of UNM’s wins this season have been Quad 1 or Quad 2 victories. With four games remaining in the regular season, New Mexico is one win away from tying the school record for conference wins in a season, set in 2013-14 when the Lobos went 15-3 in the Mountain West.

Pitino is one of four coaches to be named to the list of 15 for the second consecutive year, joining Matt Painter (Purdue), Bruce Pearl (Auburn) and Kelvin Sampson (Houston). Joining them on this year’s list are Greg Gard (Wisconsin), Dennis Gates (Missouri), Todd Golden (Florida), Penny Hardaway (Memphis), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Pat Kelsey (Louisville), Dusty May (Michigan), Grant McCasland (Texas Tech), Ben McCollum (Drake), Rick Pitino (St. John’s) and Jon Scheyer (Duke).

The Lobos will have the weekend off before visiting San Diego State on Feb. 25. New Mexico has two home games remaining on their schedule, hosting Air Force on Mar. 1 and UNLV on Mar. 7. Tickets for both of those games are on sale now at GoLobos.com/tickets.