MIAMI - The newest college basketball coach in town is 29 years old and has a famous name and genes to match, and no time to think about any of that right now. He has a schedule to finalize, recruiting agendas to set up, high school and AAU coaches to meet, a culture to change.

Every day, Richard Pitino drives through a coral archway that welcomes you to Florida International University, past a long row of palm trees that is straight out of a tourism brochure, and settles into a chair that was occupied by Isiah Thomas until just over a month ago. Pitino’s office walls are as blank as a piece of 20-pound bond, and a markerboard with the names of players sits on the floor of a long corridor in the FIU basketball office.

When you are taking over a program that has had just seven winning seasons in its 31-year basketball history, that has been to a single NCAA Tournament and has an aggregate record of 326-527, decorating is not the highest priority. Richard Pitino knows you might be thinking that he has signed a six-year, $250,000-per-year deal to take his talents to a basketball black hole.

He’s delighted to convince you how wrong you are.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/colleg...z1vMXWAOTI

On Dec. 19, Richard Pitino’s FIU Panthers will travel to Kentucky to play Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals.

Great story from a national perspective. I like what I read about our Pitino.

Go FIU!!

That was a nice read. I hope you guys have success with the new hire.

Cannot wait to make a trip to Miami see my Monarchs.