MBB Johnston: Several big names surfacing in USF coaching search

[Brad]

Several big names surfacing in USF coaching search

 

By Joey Johnston | Tribune Staff

Published: March 17, 2014   |   Updated: March 17, 2014 at 02:30 PM

 

TAMPA — University of South Florida athletic director Mark Harlan said there already has been “considerable'' interest shown in the school's men's basketball opening, and he anticipates finding a quality replacement for Stan Heath, who was fired on Friday after seven seasons with the Bulls.

 

Harlan said Sunday that USF will utilize a search firm to help identify candidates for the position, but he wasn't ready to announce which firm.

 

Harlan, formerly the associate athletic director at UCLA, was recommended for the AD position by Eastman & Beaudine, a Texas-based search firm retained by USF for a $100,000 fee. Eastman & Beaudine also was the search firm that placed men's basketball coach Steve Alford at UCLA.

 

USF remains in the “discovery phase,'' according to Harlan, who is taking recommendations from around the country and assembling a preliminary list of coaching candidates.

 

Former UCLA coach Ben Howland, who was 230-105 with three Final Four trips in 10 seasons with the Bruins, is expected to be on USF's list, partially because of his ties to Harlan.

 

Harlan wouldn't comment on Howland or the reported interest of Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy and Marquette coach Buzz Williams.

 

Kennedy is 170-100 in eight seasons at Ole Miss, where his Rebels won the SEC tournament last season and have five appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, including two trips to the NIT Final Four. Kennedy also served one season as interim head coach at Cincinnati (21-13 in 2005-06), replacing the departed Bob Huggins.

 

Williams is 139-65 in six seasons at Marquette, where he has coached five NCAA tournament teams, including two in the Sweet 16 and last season's Elite Eight squad.

 

“It doesn't do the search any good to speak about specific candidates,'' said Harlan, who added he conducted a conference call with USF players who were understandably shaken by the coaching change and are eager to learn the identity of their new leader. “I'm going to try and be as stealth as possible. It's very important to get the right person and conduct our business in the right way.

 

“It could be a sitting head coach. It could be an assistant. We're not going to limit ourselves. If someone has the goods we're looking for — strong leader, great communicator, proven record of being able to recruit and develop players — then it doesn't matter where they are at this point.''

 

Harlan said the USF men's basketball job has reached highly desirable status, mostly due to a renovated Sun Dome, a still-new practice facility and a chance to make rapid gains in the American Athletic Conference.

 

Rest of story

[Brad]

Kennedy calls it speculation, so...you know something happened. 

 

Andy Kennedy

[Vega]

The pitiful USF media just continues to regurgitate the same three names and call that reporting. Neither Kennedy, Howland, or Williams makes sense for USF and for various reasons.

[usfgrad84]

Hahaha. Inquiring minds need the gossip.

I prefer the search be done behind the scenes until the last minute. I would rather get the best coach and not have the drama and embarrassment like last time where coaches were turning us down.

[NCBull]

He took some flak initially, but Joey Knight has been very active on the USF front over the last couple months. The blog in particular has picked up. He's doing good work.

[dabull80]

Man am I old - I remember Kennedy lighting us up from 3 point range when we played UAB.

[charsibb]

The pitiful USF media just continues to regurgitate the same three names and call that reporting. Neither Kennedy, Howland, or Williams makes sense for USF and for various reasons.

 

Which - if we had the political savvy for misdirection - would be EXACTLY why we would make sure those were the names coming up if we were running the search properly...

[Triple B]

The pitiful USF media just continues to regurgitate the same three names and call that reporting. Neither Kennedy, Howland, or Williams makes sense for USF and for various reasons.

 

So is the media outside of the pitiful Tampa/USF media saying something different?

[Bull Martin]

 

The pitiful USF media just continues to regurgitate the same three names and call that reporting. Neither Kennedy, Howland, or Williams makes sense for USF and for various reasons.

 

So is the media outside of the pitiful Tampa/USF media saying something different?

 

 

It's even worse, they don't care enough to even regurgitate

[Triple B]

 

 

The pitiful USF media just continues to regurgitate the same three names and call that reporting. Neither Kennedy, Howland, or Williams makes sense for USF and for various reasons.

 

So is the media outside of the pitiful Tampa/USF media saying something different?

 

 

It's even worse, they don't care enough to even regurgitate

 

 

But we're the top college basketball opening out there ....