Gophers men's basketball coach Richard Pitino's staff is now complete with Minneapolis native and former Iona assistant Jeff Mailhot being officially announced Monday morning.
Mailhot spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant under Iona coach Tim Cluess after a two-year stint at New Mexico State. His tenure with the Aggies included two Western Athletic Conference titles from 2017-19.
"Jeff is a perfect fit for our program," Pitino said in a statement. "He has advanced through all levels of basketball and has a proven reputation as a recruiter and hard worker. In addition to his coaching experience, he is a Minnesota native and has a great understanding of Gopher basketball. We are excited to add Jeff to our staff."
Mailhot's coaching experience started in Minnesota at the high school level. He was an assistant on Ken Novak Jr.'s staff in 2008-09 when the Royals won the state title and finished 29-0. He also coached former Gophers player Rodney Williams Jr. at Cooper High School in 2007-08.
Pitino lost his fifth assistant in seven years this spring when Rob Jeter became the head coach at Western Illinois. The longest tenured assistant on his staff now is Ed Conroy, who was promoted to associate head coach. Kyle Lindsted, formerly at Wichita State, will be entering his third season with the Gophers.
Marcus Fuller
