Richard Pitino through the years

April 3, 2013: At age 30, following one 8-14 season at Florida International, Richard Pitino is named the 17th coach in Gophers men's basketball history after Tubby Smith was fired.

Richard Pitino sat on the bench in the waning moments of a Big Ten tournament loss to Ohio State in Indianapolis on Thursday, which became his final game as Gophers coach.
Michael Conroy • Associated Press, Star Tribune
Richard Pitino sat on the bench in the waning moments of a Big Ten tournament loss to Ohio State in Indianapolis on Thursday, which became his final game as Gophers coach.

April 3, 2014: One year later, Pitino wins the school's second official NIT championship, beating Hall of Famer Larry Brown's Southern Methodist squad at Madison Square Garden.

Feb. 26, 2015: The Gophers end a 15-game program losing streak in East Lansing, Mich., beating Michigan State 96-90 in overtime.

March 9, 2016: Pitino finishes his third season with a 33-point loss in the Big Ten tournament to Illinois. The U doesn't fire him after a program-worst 8-23 record, perhaps because of his $7 million buyout.

May 11, 2016: In newly hired athletic director Mark Coyle's first news conference, U President Eric Kaler says he's "profoundly disappointed" by the men's basketball program, for its on- and off-court actions, and expects Coyle to hold Pitino's team to higher standard.

March 2-16, 2017: The Gophers win their eighth consecutive game, leading to the biggest turnaround in program history. Pitino wins Big Ten coach of the year and makes his first NCAA tournament; as a No. 5 seed they lost to 12th-seeded Middle Tennessee State in the first round.

Jan. 6, 2018: Pitino loses to Indiana without starters Reggie Lynch (suspended) and Amir Coffey (shoulder injury), and the Gophers go 2-16 the rest of the season.

March 21, 2019: Pitino beats Louisville, where his father, Rick, once coached, in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Des Moines. Coyle later gives him a two-year extension through 2023-24.

Nov. 19, 2020: Sophomore All-America center Daniel Oturu, a hometown hero, breaks the Gophers' 16-year NBA draft drought by being selected in the second round.

Jan. 16, 2021: The Gophers upset No. 7 Michigan at the Barn, which catapults them to No. 16 in the national rankings after other wins vs. Iowa and Ohio State.

Feb. 27: In an emotional locker room speech after a fifth straight loss, to last-place Nebraska, Pitino leads members of his team to believe he won't be back as Gophers coach.

March 11: Pitino's eighth season ends with a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament second round in Indianapolis.

March 15: Pitino is fired at age 38 with a record as Gophers coach of 141-123 and seven losing seasons in conference play.

Marcus Fuller