P.J. Fleck lives only a few houses down the road from Richard Pitino in Edina, but like any neighbors with demanding jobs, the two Gophers coaches rarely get chances to hang out together.
Both looked forward to some bonding time Monday, as they boarded a bus for the annual Gopher Road Trip across Minnesota, a tour organizers expanded this year in part because of Pitino and Fleck's popularity.
"I think it's always exciting to see how young people deal with the pressures of this job," said Pitino, the reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year in men's basketball. "He's young; I'm young. He's got young kids; I've got young kids. There's a lot thrown on us."
At age 34 heading into his fifth season with the Gophers, Pitino remains the youngest men's basketball coach in the Power Five conferences — Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12.
Fleck, 36, has that same distinction among Power Five football coaches.
"[Pitino] kind of gives me the ins and outs of the neighborhood, what to look for, who to watch out for, who not to watch out for," Fleck said. "But the biggest thing about him, what he's been able to do is very similar to the blueprint of what we have to be able to do."
At this time last year, Pitino was coming off an 8-23 season, the worst record in team history.
His speaking engagements didn't generate much buzz. But the Gophers went 24-10 last season with a relatively young team that appears to have even more promise heading into this fall.