Pitino weighs in on ever-changing coaching landscape

ALBUQUERQUE T he shifting landscape of college basketball is enough to make the toughest of the tough feel a little queasy from time to time.

The recent exit of some of the games best coaches is an example.

The departure last week of Virginia coach Tony Bennett speaks to a bigger problem than Xs and Os, and it has everything to do with the rapid changes brought on by the transfer portal, the payment of players and, of course, conference realignment.

Bennetts surprising retirement sent shockwaves through the sport.

He talked about the demands of coaches in dealing with agents, arranging financial agreements to players through name, image and likeness deals, and the constant churning of the transfer portal.

New Mexico coach Richard Pitino isnt immune to it, having lost prize big man J.T.

Toppin to Texas Tech in the transfer portal last offseason.

Toppin was lured away by a reported seven-figure NIL deal negotiated by his agent.

UNM managed to hang onto star guard Donovan Dent and center Nelly Junior Joseph, tapping into their own NIL collective to do so.

Then came last months news that the Mountain West was splitting in half with five of its schools bolting to join the Pac-12 in 2026.

It came just six months after the MWC sent a record-setting six teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Of those, four are headed to the Pac-12.

Well, Im not going to retire anytime soon so dont worry about that, Pitino said before Tuesdays practice in The Pit.

Its always been hard but I would say every profession is hard.

UNM opens its 2024-25 season with an exhibition game Monday against UTEP in The Pit.

The Lobos play their first real game Nov.

4 against visiting Nicholls.

Pitino, who is set to make nearly $1.2 million this season, addressed Bennetts decision to step down, acknowledging the challenges all coaches face moving forward.

I think the hard part right now is there is so much volatility in everything that we do, Pitino said.

But you have to find a way to just figure it out.

Youre looking at NIL, you dont know where its going to be.

Youre looking at conference realignment, you dont know where its going to be.

So, its just like year to year.

Pitino said rival schools are already using conference realignment against UNM on the recruiting trail, saying the Pac-12 is the tougher league and the instability of the Mountain West makes it a diminished product.

That, in turn, has an impact on NIL collectives that are quickly becoming the proverbial grand wizard pulling all the strings behind the scenes.

Do I like that? No, of course I dont like it, but Im also not going to sit and whine about it and complain about it, Pitino said.

If I have a solution Id be happy to offer it.

He said almost everyone in the college game agreed that the launch of the NIL world was a good idea.

In no time at all, it has taken on a life of its own with some athletes holding out for the best deals possible like UNLV football player Matthew Sluka leaving the team after its 3-0 start when he didnt get the NIL money he said he was promised when signing with the Rebels.

Pitino spoke at length during last weeks Mountain West media days about his displeasure at the conference breaking apart.

He doubled down on that this week.

I dont believe that the Mountain West breaking up was necessary, but, again, things I cant control, he said.

So, yeah, its hard.

I dont find its substantially harder to coach the players but predicting the future has become certainly more difficult and building a roster is becoming more and more challenging.

Pitino said the decision to play UTEP in Mondays exhibition was two-fold.

For starters, El Paso is within driving distance, which makes it much easier to agree to terms on both sides.

Second, the Miners style pressing, running and up-tempo is a good fit for what UNM expects when it meets UCLA and St.

Johns in the nonconference schedule.

UTEP is set to join the Mountain West in 2026, reuniting the Lobos and Miners for the first time since UNM left the WAC 25 years ago.

The Lobos will wear no fewer than five different uniforms this season; a traditional all-white home kit with Lobos across the chest and adorned with cherry and silver piping.

A second white uniform will have New Mexico on the front and turquoise outlines for cherry letters and numbers.

Theres an all-red road uniform with silver and white lettering and numbers, and a turquoise kit that essentially inverts the color scheme for the red uniform.

A fifth outfit is being kept under lock and key for at least one special occasion, a UNM official said.

Could it be New Mexico State? Or the CBS game against San Diego State? How about the visit from preseason MWC favorite Boise State or, perhaps, the Fox televised game at UNLV in late January? We shall see.

While San Jose State started using luminous paint for its basketball court a couple of years ago and Kentucky is introducing a glass LED court in Rupp Arena this season, the playing surface in The Pit is still just regular hardwood with regular ol paint.

The only change is a fresh coat of polyurethane that gives the surface a shiny new look.

Donovan Dent, Mustapha Amzil and C.J.

Noland have been named team captains in secret voting by the players.

The coaches, Pitino said, have no input in the process.

During Tuesdays practice in The Pit, Amzil exercised some of that captains swagger by watching center Nelly Junior Joseph throw down a monster dunk during a 3-on-3 drill.

Amzil yelled, Hey Nelly, thats Thors hammer! Unfamiliar with the Marvel universe, Joseph flashed a confused look while Amzil finished with, Trust me, Thors hammer.

The Lobos football team jumped to 106 in The Athletic 134, the online publications weekly ranking of the countrys Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Thats nine spots higher than a week ago.

UNM is a 6.5-point underdog at Colorado State this weekend.

The Rams are expecting a sellout crowd of about 40,000 for the game..

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