Richard Pitino plans to finish career with Minnesota Golden Gophers

Dec 19, 2012; Louisville, KY, USA; Florida International Golden Panthers head coach Richard Pitino calls out instructions during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

This could be the start of a very long legacy for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Richard Pitino inked a six-year contract with the University of Minnesota, but he plans to be around much longer than that.

Pitino is only 30 years old but he plans to coach men’s basketball at the University of Minnesota for the rest of his career. This is what Pitino had to say at his introductory press conference this past Friday via ShamaSportsHeadliners.com:

"“This is absolutely the place I want to be,” Pitino said.  “Me and my wife talked about it last night, just how excited we were that we can finally be at a place we hope to be for the rest of our lives, and build something special.  I believe this is one of the top basketball jobs in the country, and I believe the University of Minnesota is one of the best universities in the country.  So I am really looking forward to building at a program that competes at a very high level.”"

Let’s just take it a year at a time, but the enthusiasm is encouraging.