One week after he was formally introduced as Xavier’s next head men’s basketball coach, Richard Pitino has finalized his first coaching staff with the Musketeers, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.
It’s now official that the majority of Pitino’s staff at New Mexico, which helped lead the Lobos to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances along with a Mountain West regular-season and conference tournament title, will be joining him at Xavier.
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“I wanted to make sure the people who helped me get this dream job were taken care of,” Pitino told reporters April 1.
Richard Pitino speaks after being introduced as the new Xavier men’s basketball head coach on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
The lone exception is assistant Dave Pilipovich, a coaching veteran of over three decades, who got a job closer to home on Ali Farokhmanesh’s staff at Colorado State.
Pitino’s staff includes associate head coach Isaac Chew, assistant coaches Tarvish Felton and Aaron Katsuma, assistant coach/player development Daniel Walters, director of basketball operations Peyton Stephens and strength and conditioning coach Matthew Flores.
“One of the most important things to do when starting a program is building a staff,” Pitino said in a statement. “Isaac, Tarvish, Aaron, Danny, Peyton and Matt all were integral parts of our Mountain West Championships and back-to-back NCAA Tournament teams. They have hit the ground running right away and will be a huge part of our success.”
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The only coach retained from Sean Miller’s staff is former Xavier guard Dante Jackson, who will remain with the Musketeers as an assistant.
Xavier assistant coach Dante Jackson was a guard for the Musketeers from 2007-2011.
“I don’t care that he (Jackson) played at Xavier. I don’t care that he’s worked here before. I want to hire Dante because he’s a phenomenal coach and he understands what we’re trying to do,” Pitino said April 1. “I wouldn’t have hired him if I didn’t think he was a terrific coach. Playing at Xavier, knowing this place, certainly is an added benefit, but it’s not why I hired him.”
Chew will enter his fifth season on Pitino’s staff and will serve in the associated head-coaching role he was promoted to in April 2024. He has previous assistant coaching experience at Murray State, Missouri, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and Grand Canyon, according to his coaching bio.
New Xavier associate head coach Isaac Chew is entering his fifth season on Richard Pitino’s staff and has coaching experience in four different power conferences.
Felton had a 10-season run at Utah State before serving as the associate head coach at Fresno State for four years. He joined New Mexico in 2022.
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Katsuma spent five seasons at Colorado State (four as director of basketball operations) before joining New Mexico as an assistant for back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Katsuma was on Pitino’s staff at Minnesota for four total seasons.
Walters was a video coordinator and assistant coach at New Mexico last season and joined the Lobos in 2022.
Stephens will enter her fifth season on Pitino’s staff. She was an administrative assistant in her first three seasons with the Lobos before serving as the New Mexico Director of Basketball Operations last year. She had previously spent two seasons as an administrative assistant at her alma mater, Texas A&M.
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Flores will also enter his fifth season as a strength and conditioning coach under Pitino. He was a graduate assistant under Pitino at Minnesota during the 2018-19 season, then had a two-year stint at Utah Valley before joining the New Mexico staff.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Richard Pitino finalizes full coaching staff for Xavier Musketeers
