Is Friday's celebration in the Pit also a going-away party for Pitino and Dent?

Friday night will be a celebration in the Pit.

In a game that has been sold out for a week, the Lobos will honor four players, two managers and a graduate assistant in a pregame Senior Night ceremony.

Win or lose against a UNLV team (17-13, 11-8 Mountain West) that isn’t bearing gifts, the Lobos (24-6, 16-3) plan to cut down the nets after the game to celebrate the program’s first Mountain West Championship in a dozen years — a regular-season championship they clinched at least a share of Tuesday with a win at Nevada.

“Win that game. It’s gonna feel weird to celebrate after a loss, so I think that’s where everybody’s mind is at: winning that game,” Lobo senior Mustapha Amzil said on Thursday.

But the elephant in the Pit might be whether Friday will be fans’ last chance to see in Albuquerque the architect of the program rebuild, coach Richard Pitino, and junior point guard Donovan Dent, who has put together one of the best single seasons in program history.

The Journal asked Pitino on Thursday about whether he and Dent have discussed the player’s future and about the coach’s future, because for the third consecutive spring his name has been linked to job openings around the country.

“There’s two sides to this. If you lose, everybody’s going to want you fired, right? If you win, especially at a place like New Mexico, people are always going to rumor you for other jobs. It’s just the reality of the situation,” Pitino said. “It does not mean that that is something I am pushing. A lot of the time, it’s not true. That’s what makes it hard for me to constantly have to debunk some of these things. You just got to kind of go with the flow.”

Pitino, who has been approached by and spoken with other schools in each of the past two offseasons, has said he wants to be at a program that invests in basketball, can win in the league it‘s in and has a fan base that cares.

But he’s also not shy about saying the commitment needs to be two ways, and says he’s had healthy, ongoing discussions with new Athletic Director Fernando Lovo and the UNM administration.

“My focus has always been to pour my heart and soul into this program and continue to make it better. I think we’ve obviously done that,” Pitino said. “And I’m always pushing for with, Fern and administration, on how can we strengthen the investment piece?

“The support that we get here, the fans, the community, that does not get lost on me. I don’t know what the future holds. I am very, very grateful for this place. I love being the coach here, and my mindset is continuing to build and build and build.”

Pitino, 42, is signed through the 2028-29 season and this year is slated to make $1.2 million.

On Dent

Dent, the expected winner of Mountain West Player of the Year when that award is announced next Tuesday, is averaging 20.4 points, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals this season.

He’s four points and four blocks shy of becoming the first Mountain West player to ever have 600 points, 200 assists and 50 steals in a season.

And the rest of college basketball certainly knows who he is, making him an expected transfer target of many high-profile programs.

Pitino said that while he’s had no “specific conversations” with Dent about where he plans to play next season, there’s no denying how important it is for UNM to keep him around.

“My goal with all the players all the time, and especially a guy like Donovan, of that caliber, is let’s put you in a position to make the NBA from here,” Pitino said. “... With Donovan, when the season ends, we will have more of an in-depth (conversation), especially now because of NIL and all of it.

“But what he has done for this program to impact winning is not something that any of us can overlook. And we got to figure out a way to keep him here. I think he loves it here. I think he appreciates it. I think he understands the value of everything that we have to offer.”