Richard Pitino is reportedly getting a raise. And he can apparently thank the University of Alabama for it.
A Thursday report from the Star-Tribune's Sid Hartman said that Pitino will earn an extra $400,000 per season.
This in the wake of Pitino "seriously considering" leaving the Twin Cities to instead take the then-vacant job leading the hoops program in Tuscaloosa. That's what Pitino's father, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, told Jim Rome last month.
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The job ended up going to former NBA head coach Avery Johnson, but the elder Pitino said during that interview that his son was thinking about departing the Gophers to lead the Crimson Tide.
[MORE BIG TEN: Michigan's John Beilein sees son get dad's old job at LeMoyne]
"I've met with the Alabama athletic director, talking about different guys for that job. Richard's name came up, and Richard was seriously considering making that move," Rick Pitino told Rome. "He called me up and said, 'You know, Dad, Alabama's a great job, but I don't deserve it.' You know what, for a 32-year-old, that's as proud I can be as a dad. He was just so humble about it. And he said, 'I haven't done enough to warrant any move or even consider any move.' He said, 'We've got a tough rebuilding job here at Minnesota, and I'm going to get it done."
Hartman said that Pitino's raise is expected to move him ahead of Illinois' John Groce, Nebraska's Tim Miles and Iowa's Fran McCaffery in terms of salary among Big Ten coaches.
In two seasons at Minnesota, Pitino has coached the Gophers to a 43-28 record. They won the NIT in 2014 but made no postseason tournament this past season.