Minnesota Basketball: 5 candidates to replace Richard Pitino as head coach

Brian Dutcher

When Pitino was hired in 2013, it’s easy to conclude that having a Hall of Fame head coach as a father helped influence the decision. Rick Pitino has never been associated with the Golden Gophers, but nepotism can still play a role in these coaching decisions. If you’re looking for a coach who would not only be a home run hire but has family connections to the school, then Dutcher is the easy first choice.

Long ago, Dutcher went to college at Minnesota and his father Jim was formerly the Golden Gophers’ head coach. He spent nearly thirty seasons as an assistant under Steve Fisher, helping win the national title at Michigan and recruiting the Fab Five to the Wolverines.

Dutcher spent nearly two decades under Fisher at San Diego State and has done marvelous work since taking over as head coach in 2017. Dutcher is 96-30 at the helm, has won a pair of Mountain West regular season and conference titles, and built a legitimate national title threat with 2020’s Aztecs team.

Dutcher sat on the Aztec bench for 18 years waiting for his moment; would he actually leave for Minnesota after just four seasons as head coach? The hire of Dutcher would be a certain home run for Minnesota, but the likeliness seems lower than the other names on the list. The Golden Gophers could offer Dutcher an incredible pay increase which would certainly test Dutcher’s loyalty to the Aztecs. All in all, a successful head coach with Big Ten experience returning to his alma mater sounds like a fantastic hire, but could they lure him away?