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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 1, 2009 18:28:41 GMT -5
April 1, 2009, 6:02 PM ET Nash agrees to contract extensionHONOLULU -- Hawaii basketball coach Bob Nash has agreed to a one-year contract extension with an option for another season. Hawaii athletic director Jim Donovan announced the deal Wednesday that would keep Nash through the 2011-12 season, if the second-year option is granted through performance clauses. The standard for renewal is participating in a postseason tournament or winning 18 games during either the 2009-10 or 2010-11 seasons. The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a disappointing 13-17 season. Nash, who replaced Riley Wallace, is 24-36 in his first two seasons. Next season would have been the final of a three-year contract that pays him about $240,000 a year. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4034729
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 1, 2009 18:29:56 GMT -5
April 1, 2009, 6:56 PM ET Ducks keep Kent, add Arizona's DunlapEUGENE, Ore. -- Ernie Kent will stay on as Oregon's men's basketball coach after a disappointing 8-23 season that led to speculation about the Ducks making a change. The school also announced Wednesday that it hired former Arizona assistant Mike Dunlap as associate head coach. Kent's future with Oregon was murky after the Ducks had the second-most losses in team history and went 2-16 in the Pac-10 this season. Kent, an Oregon alum, has coached the Ducks for 12 seasons and gone 219-157, making him the Ducks' winningest coach. He has guided the Ducks to five NCAA tournament appearances, and two regional semifinals. Oregon won the Pac-10 title in 2002, and won the league's postseason tournament in 2003 and 2007. Before his season as an assistant for the Wildcats, Dunlap was an assistant with the Denver Nuggets for two seasons. He also was head coach at Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colo., for nine seasons, guiding the Roadrunners to NCAA Division II National Championships in 2000 and 2002. Dunlap takes over at Oregon for Mark Hudson, whose contract was not renewed. Kent approached athletic director Pat Kilkenny about hiring Dunlap. "I was satisfied, after doing much research into the matter, that Mike Dunlap will help our basketball team be competitive in the Pac-10 once again," Kilkenny said in a statement. "After all that we have achieved, including two Elite Eight runs in the NCAA tournament, an outright Pac-10 championship and two Pac-10 Tournament championships, Ernie should have the opportunity to chart the direction of our program." Kent has a guaranteed annual salary of just over $1 million, plus incentives. Had he been let go, Oregon would have had to pay $1.1 million to buy out his contract. He also would have been owed about $1.25 million in deferred income. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4034616
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 1, 2009 18:32:53 GMT -5
Arizona coach 'is Few's job if he wants it'April 1, 2009 By Gary Parrish Arizona's coaching search is now centered on Gonzaga's Mark Few. Multiple sources told CBSSports.com that Arizona used third-party representatives to gauge the interest of Few as early as November at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, and that informal conversations continued this past weekend, right after North Carolina eliminated Gonzaga from the NCAA tournament. One source put it simply: "This is Few's job if he wants it." But does Few want it? A source told CBSSports.com that Few is intrigued by the tradition of Arizona, but that he would have reservations about taking over a situation that could be similar to what Tom Crean inherited at Indiana. In other words, Few has never done anything but win in 10 seasons at Gonzaga, and so losing game after game next season because of a program that has been decimated by departures and a lack of recruiting is something he might balk at. Also, Few could be hesitant about taking over at Arizona given that there's an ongoing NCAA investigation. But sources insisted he'll listen, and that Arizona is talking. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11578288
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Post by Glory Days on Apr 1, 2009 21:18:44 GMT -5
Cal jackpot aside, job market is bare -- and that's no bullApril 1, 2009 By Ray Ratto Russ Pennell's plan to make a reporter harangue him in a postgame news conference about his ridiculously high salary has been temporarily foiled. Thus he heads to Detroit and the college basketball trade show that is the Final Four hoping to get viewed favorably by one of what we suspect will be a limited number of coaching opportunities. Sure, there's a flurry now -- Memphis is open, and so is Georgia and Washington State, and Arizona ... and ... er, uhh, well, yeah. Yeah, as in Boston U, Appalachian State and Texas-Pan American. And that's it. There will be a few more here and there as the emanations from filling the seven vacancies currently on the board, but most of the heavy terminating has already been done, and there wasn't much. This figures, given that 99 jobs (out of 348) were vacated and filled over the last two seasons. That's almost 30 percent in two years, and since most coaches typically get three years of failure before being gated, there had to be a down year coming sooner or later. And this is it. Kentucky was the big prize, followed by Memphis, Arizona, Alabama, Virginia and either Washington State or Virginia Commonwealth, depending on your area code. But the Kentucky vacancy begat Memphis, and the Alabama opening begat VCU, and Virginia begat Washington State. And Arizona, the cheese in this discussion, stands alone, given Lute Olson's medical issues. Pennell leaped from the broadcast booth at Arizona State to an assistant's job at UA to the head coaching job when Olson retired due to a series of small strokes and Mike Dunlap declined the opportunity to be the interim coach. Pennell did OK, given the difficulties, and getting into the second weekend of the NCAA was far beyond what should have been his capabilities. But he came at least two games short of becoming a serious candidate, and it didn't help that they lost their round-of-16 game 103-64, the widest margin for any second-weekend game in 42 years (UCLA 109, Wyoming 60, if you must know). He stood no chance. He knew it. We all knew it. So now he heads to Detroit, tournament media guide in hand, looking at one of those Appy State/BU/Texas-Pan Am-level vacancies, because it is unlikely that he will factor at Georgia or Memphis, and we don't know yet from where those vacancies will be filled (Missouri's Mike Anderson just re-upped for a 100 years rather than take more money from Georgia). Plus, there are other potential candidates with better résumés, like Randy Bennett of Saint Mary's. In other words, these are hard shopping times for Russ Pennell. While John Calipari strikes triple gold, and Anderson, Tony Bennett and Anthony Grant strike double gold, the general stasis within the coaching industry is going to make it harder than one would normally think for him to take his .600 winning percentage and his 12-beats-5 win over Utah and parlay it into a big-boy job. Hell, VCU, Grant's old job, was just scooped up by Florida assistant Shaka Smart, who is considered a good get but not nearly as well known as Pennell, given the circumstances. The point? While you wouldn't know it from Calipari's jackpot, these are going to be hard times for a lot of upwardly mobile coaches. The market is too placid, either because of exhaustion from the flurries of the past two seasons or because the economy makes it harder to induce contract buyouts from short-armed alums. When Washington State is a front-burner job, the pilot light on the stove is a little dim. But Russ Pennell perseveres, because there is nothing to do but persevere. Sure, he could get another radio gig, one that he can transform into a job with more authority behind his opinions ("When I coached Chase Budinger" is a good opening in any debate), but that's not what he wants. There is a line forming behind him, true, but there is also a line in front of him, and like in every other walk of life these days, the line is longer than the list of vacancies. www.cbssports.com/columns/story/11578256
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 2, 2009 18:32:40 GMT -5
April 2, 2009 Tennessee denies Memphis has spoken with Pearl MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee is denying that anyone connected with Memphis has spoken with either coach Bruce Pearl or its athletic director about replacing John Calipari as the Tigers' basketball coach. WMC-TV reported on its Web site Thursday that sources said Memphis had offered Pearl a seven-year, $21 million ackage to take over for Calipari. Calipari was introduced Wednesday as Kentucky's new coach and the highest paid in college basketball with an eight year, $31.65 million deal. "No one has talked to Memphis," Tennessee spokeswoman Tiffany Carpenter told The Associated Press. Tennessee planned a statement from Pearl later Thursday. Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press on his cell phone. Pearl was in Detroit, site of this weekend's Final Four, to present the Adolph Rupp national coach of award to Louisville coach Rick Pitino and was seen Thursday morning wearing a tan suit with a Tennessee orange tie and orange and blue pinstriped shirt. But The Commercial Appeal reported on its Web site that Memphis planned to ask for permission to talk to Pearl. Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson did not immediately return a message left on his cell phone from the AP. Pearl, a two-time coach of the year in the Southeastern Conference, took Tennessee to the first No. 1 ranking in school history in February 2008 by beating then-No. 1 Memphis and Calipari on the Tigers' home court. He has a $2.5 million buyout in his contract if he left Tennessee this year. He earned $1.6 million for the 2008-09 season but is averaging $2.3 million a year under the six-season contract signed last summer that goes through 2013-14 sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/mens-tournament/04/02/tennessee.ap/index.html
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 2, 2009 18:37:20 GMT -5
April 2, 2009 Floyd turns Arizona down to stay at USCTUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona is still looking for a replacement for Hall of Famer Lute Olson after Southern California coach Tim Floyd turned down the job. Floyd announced his decision in a meeting with reporters in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon. Arizona wants a high-profile coach to replace Olson, who retired for health reasons before the start of last season. Floyd met Wednesday afternoon with Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood and was offered the job, according to Mark Asher of Sports 620 KTAR, ESPN Radio's affiliate in Phoenix, and the Los Angeles Times. He reportedly had 24 hours to make a decision and went with USC. Floyd has led the Trojans to the NCAA tournament three straight times, and this year he coached them to the Pac-10 tournament title. The 55-year-old Floyd has an 85-50 record in his four seasons at USC. He also coached in college at Iowa State, New Orleans and Idaho. Floyd coached two NBA teams -- Chicago (1999-02) and New Orleans (2004). Russ Pennell was interim coach for Arizona this season, leading the Wildcats to a 21-14 record and the program's 25th consecutive NCAA appearance. Messages left for Livengood on his cell phone by The Associated Press were not returned. Arizona sports information director Tom Duddleston said Thursday no news conference or announcement had been scheduled. USC athletic director Mike Garrett said Arizona had been granted permission to speak with Floyd. It would have been unusual for a coach to switch from one school to another in the same conference. Former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery is at California, but was with the NBA's Golden State Warriors between those two college jobs. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4037496
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 2, 2009 18:39:16 GMT -5
Hampton coach Nickelberry resigns after three seasonsApril 2, 2009 HAMPTON, Va. -- Hampton University men's basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry has resigned after three seasons. Athletic director Lonza Hardy Jr. has chosen assistant coach Edward Joyner as interim head coach. Hardy says Thursday that the school didn't want to lose Nickelberry but he respects the coach's decision. Nickelberry's team ended this season 16-16. During his three seasons at Hampton, Nickelberry compiled a 50-44 record. Joyner was hired by Nickelberry in 2006 after serving 11 years as assistant coach at Johnson C. Smith University, his alma mater. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11582684
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Apr 2, 2009 20:23:51 GMT -5
April 2, 2009 Few appears to be staying at Gonzaga SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Gonzaga basketball fans are breathing a little easier Thursday amid indications that coach Mark Few is not leaving anytime soon. Published reports indicated that Oregon and Arizona both wanted to hire Few, but he was not interested. Few did not return a telephone message left at his office Thursday. Few, an Oregon graduate and native of the Eugene area, has long been rumored to be interested in taking over the Ducks. But Oregon has decided to retain coach Ernie Kent, despite an 8-23 record this season. Several newspapers in Washington and Oregon reported Thursday that Oregon approached Few about the job. Meanwhile, CBSsports.com reported that Arizona wanted to hire Few, but was turned down. Southern Cal Coach Tim Floyd on Thursday also took himself out of contention to replace Hall of Famer Lute Olson, who retired in October. Few has compiled a 264-66 record in 10 seasons as head coach at Gonzaga, the second-highest active winning percentage in the nation after Roy Williams of North Carolina. The Bulldogs have made 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, the last 10 with Few as the head coach. Gonzaga was 28-6 this season and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in Few's tenure. But there has long been speculation that Gonzaga, which plays in the low-profile West Coast Conference, cannot reasonably expect to rise much higher in the college basketball food chain. Arizona is one of the nation's top programs, with a streak of 25 straight NCAA tournament appearances that is the longest active run. sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/04/02/few.gonzaga.ap/index.html
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Apr 2, 2009 20:26:43 GMT -5
Butler extends Stevens' contract through 2015-16April 2, 2009 INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler coach Brad Stevens has agreed to a contract extension with the Bulldogs through the 2015-16 season. The new contract announced Thursday adds one year to the contract Stevens signed a year ago. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed. The 32-year-old Stevens is one of the youngest coaches in Division I. He is 56-10 record in two seasons as Butler coach, winning the Horizon League regular-season championship and taking the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament both years. Butler was 26-6 last season, losing to LSU in the first round of the tourney. Stevens played at nearby DePauw. He was a Butler assistant for six years under Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter and became coach after Lickliter left for Iowa in 2007. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11583348
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Apr 2, 2009 20:28:51 GMT -5
Pearl, Vols reach agreement on six-year extensionApril 2, 2009 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl has a newly renegotiated six-year contract keeping him with the Volunteers as reported by Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. It came hours after reports surfaced that Memphis wanted to talk to Pearl about replacing John Calipari, who left for Kentucky. Interim president Jan Simek and athletic director Mike Hamilton announced Thursday night that they and Pearl had agreed in principle to the new deal. Details will be released within the next few days. Pearl said in a statement that Hamilton has been supportive and committed to making Tennessee one of college basketball's best jobs. "I want to ensure the University of Tennessee and its fans that I'm 100 percent committed to this school, this program and our student-athletes," Pearl said. "I truly love my job, and I want it to be clear that I'm not interested in any other job. There's no place in the country I'd rather be than the University of Tennessee. My children are happy here in the Knoxville community. One is in high school, one is in middle school and two are currently attending the university." This is similar to what happened last year when Pearl was linked to openings at Indiana and other schools. Tennessee unveiled a six-year deal last July that paid him $1.6 million for the 2009-09 season with an average of $2.3 million a year. A two-time coach of the year in the Southeastern Conference, Pearl took Tennessee to the first No. 1 ranking in school history in February 2008 by beating then-No. 1 Memphis and Calipari on the Tigers' home court. Preseason favorites to win the Southeastern Conference, Tennessee (21-13) shared the East Division title -- the Vols' third share of a division title in four seasons under Pearl. The Vols played for their first SEC tournament championship in 18 years but lost, then reached the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season before losing in the first round. Pearl said he and his staff are building a Top 25 program. "Tennessee has all the resources necessary to win championships, from our recently upgraded facilities to our ability to schedule," he said. Hamilton called Pearl's performance at Tennessee "nothing short of phenomenal." "We are committed to helping him and his staff to achieve even greater heights in the years ahead," he said. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11583341
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Apr 2, 2009 20:30:16 GMT -5
Nevada's Fox to become head coach at GeorgiaApril 2, 2009 By Gary Parrish Mark Fox has reached an agreement in principle to become Georgia's next coach, sources told CBSSports.com on Thursday. Fox was expected to tell his team Thursday night. An official announcement is expected Friday. Fox will come to Georgia from Nevada, where he made three NCAA tournaments in five seasons. His career record is 102-30. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11583382
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 3, 2009 17:37:32 GMT -5
April 3, 2009 Fox hired at Georgia with 6-year dealATHENS, Ga.-- Unconcerned about his lack of ties to the region, Georgia named Nevada's Mark Fox as its new men's basketball coach Friday with the goal of transforming a moribund program into a national power. The hiring of Fox, who had five straight 20-win seasons at Nevada, was a surprise to those outside the interview process. Among those mentioned as possible candidates were Missouri's Mike Anderson, Clemson's Oliver Purnell and Miami's Frank Haith. In the end, athletic director Damon Evans settled on the 40-year-old Fox after a whirlwind courtship. The two met in Atlanta on Thursday, and Evans offered the job a few hours later. Fox agreed to a six-year deal paying $1.3 million annually -- a significant increase over the $760,000-a-year salary of his predecessor, Dennis Felton. Felton was fired in January with the Bulldogs heading toward another dismal season. They finished 12-20 overall and 3-13 in the Southeastern Conference under interim coach Pete Herrmann. "I know this is going to be a great day when we look back on the history of Georgia men's basketball program," Evans said during a news conference at the school's 2-year-old training facility. "Mark Fox is one of the country's brightest up-and-coming coaches." Fox was 123-43 in five seasons at Nevada, winning at least 20 games every year. He won four Western Athletic Conference championships and reached the NCAA tournament three times, twice reaching the second round. "I'm certainly attracted to the potential for this program," said Fox, accompanied by his wife, Cindy, and their two young children. "There's a terrific recruiting base in the state. You can get an outstanding education. We're very excited to be here. We're ready to go to work." Fox's name never surfaced in reports of the search, and even the team was caught off guard. One of the top players, freshman Trey Thompkins, said he hasn't decided whether he will return to school next season. Two other players, guards Zac Swansey and Troy Brewer, announced they were seeking transfers shortly after the season ended. "I don't coach Fox more than anyone else on the team," Thompkins said. "I've known him for like five hours." Anderson, who led Missouri to the NCAA regional finals, agreed to a new deal with the Tigers earlier this week. Evans said he met with about five coaches, and talked with several more informally. The hiring of Fox did not make the sort of immediate splash Georgia fans might have hoped for, but Evans said he's more concerned about the long-term growth of the program. While the Bulldogs had success under coaches such as Hugh Durham, Tubby Smith and Jim Harrick, they have made only one NCAA tournament appearance since 2002. "It's not about winning the first press conference," Evans said. "It's about finding the right person for the University of Georgia." Fox said he's confident he'll be able to recruit within the state, even though he's not very well known to the high school and AAU coaches who hold such sway over potential signees. Georgia has a wealth of high school talent, but top prospects have historically headed elsewhere when it comes time to pick a college. "There's no doubt the state of Georgia is a fertile recruiting ground," Evans said. "We've got to put a fence up around it like Mark Richt did in football. But to be a national power, you've got to be able to recruit across the nation. I have every confidence Mark Fox can do that." The AD pointed to Fox's predecessor at Nevada, Trent Johnson, who led LSU to the SEC championship in his first season in Baton Rouge. "He's not from the South, either," Evans said. "We get caught up in that sometimes, but guys move all over and do great jobs. I think if (Cconnecticut's) Jim Calhoun came down South to coach, he'd do just fine." Fox led Nevada to a 21-13 record this season, keeping alive his streak of 20-win seasons. The Wolf Pack struggled to replace 7-foot center JaVale McGee, who left school early and was drafted in the first round by the Washington Wizards, and lost to Texas-El Paso in the first round of the postseason College Basketball Invitational. Fox was an assistant coach at Washington (1991-93) and Kansas State (1994-2000) before moving to Nevada as associate head coach under Johnson in 2000. He was named head coach in 2004 after Johnson left for Stanford. "I'm embarking on a new adventure in my career," said Fox, who met with his Nevada players late Thursday night to give them the news. "I'm leaving a great place where I loved to coach. I want to thank all the people of northern Nevada for all the support we had." sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4039211
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 3, 2009 17:39:47 GMT -5
Callero leaves Seattle U. to coach Cal PolyApril 2, 2009 SEATTLE -- Seattle University basketball coach Joe Callero is leaving the school, after the program's return to Division I competition, to take over at Cal Poly. Seattle athletics spokesman Jason Behenna told the Associated Press that Callero gave notice Thursday and was to be introduced at a Friday news conference in San Luis Obispo. Last season, Callero coached the Redhawks to a 13-8 record in their return to Division I ball. The wins included victories against Louisiana Tech, Eastern Washington and Loyola Marymount. Callero had a record of 117-105 in eight years, with five winning seasons. The Mustangs (7-21) parted with coach Kevin Bromley last month after finishing at the bottom of the Big West Conference. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11583452
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 3, 2009 17:41:44 GMT -5
OU responds to interest in Capel, works out extension for hot coachApril 3, 2009 By Gary Parrish DETROIT -- Jeff Capel is on the verge of signing a lucrative extension with Oklahoma, a source told CBSSports.com on Friday morning. Details of the deal are unclear, but a source said it should be done later Friday, and that an official announcement is expected sometime this weekend, if not sooner. Capel just finished his third season at Oklahoma. He has been to two NCAA tournaments and one Elite Eight. This new deal is a result of Capel's emergence as one of the bright young coaches in the country. He received interest from a number of schools in the past month, among them Georgia and Arizona, to varying degrees. www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11587497
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Post by Jazzfan on Apr 3, 2009 17:43:22 GMT -5
Spurned Arizona targets Xavier's Miller for coaching jobApril 3, 2009 By Gary Parrish DETROIT -- Arizona has initiated conversations with Sean Miller in an attempt to see whether the rising star at Xavier will entertain an offer that could be worth more than $13 million spread over six years, a source close to the Arizona program told CBSSports.com on Friday. Multiple sources said it's unclear whether Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood has spoken directly with Miller, but the sources added that Miller has had preliminary discussions with a third-party representative working on behalf of Arizona, and that he's willing to consider a move to the Pac-10 more so than he's considered different opportunities in the past. In other words, Miller was never seriously interested in Virginia or Georgia, and he's not interested in replacing John Calipari at Memphis. But Arizona is the type of elite job that has his attention, though there are no guarantees Miller would automatically leave Xavier given that he clearly has the best job in the Atlantic 10. Miller has been at Xavier five seasons. He's made four NCAA tournaments, including one Elite Eight. Arizona has already been publicly rejected by USC's Tim Floyd. Other candidates the school has informally pursued to various degrees are Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), John Calipari (Memphis), Jeff Capel (Oklahoma), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State). www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11587780
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