Mike Balado will go from working under one Pitino to another.
Balado, who spent the past season as an assistant coach at Florida International with Richard Pitino, has been named the new assistant coach on Rick Pitino's staff at Louisville. Balado replace Kareem Richardson, who was hired as the new head coach at UMKC.
"Mike brings a wealth of experience in both the recruiting world and in coaching," said Rick Pitino in a release. "An important factor in adding him to our staff was his knowledge of what we do defensively and in scouting, after working with Richard (Pitino) for a year. It should not take a great deal of time in acclimating him to our program. He's a tireless worker and he should fit like a glove. He also brings another facet to our recruiting efforts, as he speaks fluent Spanish and has connections throughout Latin America."
"I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to work for Coach Pitino and the University of Louisville," said Balado. "Given the chance to learn from arguably the best coach, mentor, and person in the game of basketball is truly a blessing."
Balado (pronounced bah-LAW-doe) joins Kevin Keatts and Wyking Jones in rounding out Pitino's trio of assistants.