ESPN is reporting that Tubby Smith will leave Kentucky and take the job in Minnesota.

Also Steve Alford is leaving Iowa for New Mexico.

Seems like big steps down for two guys who were really feeling the heat.

Good riddance to Alfraud. Maybe Iowa can get someone who can actually coach and is likable. Not renewing Tom Davis's contract in 99 was the dumbest thing Bob Bowlsby ever did. Ok, maybe not, but it's in the top 5.

Any news of who is taking the Texas womens job? I have heard rumor of Dukes coach taking it?

Arkansas has fired coach Stan Heath despite a 20 win season and an NCAA berth.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2813245

And Utah has hired Michiagn State assistant Jim Boylen as their head coach.

Rumors going crazy about Billy Donovan to Kentucky after the Final Four. There's strong indication that he's been offered already and, supposedly, a Lexington television station said a deal will be announced by Kentucky after the Final Four.

Pearl to Iowa: No.

Now lets see if that's a true no or a Nick Saban no.

Oooh, Pearl at Iowa would be a lot more fun for the Krush than Alford.

and yet another round of craziness over which coaches will be going where

WVU's coach has been mentioned for the Michigan job

I wondered if Beilein would get mentioned there or Kentucky. I'm sure if Donovan says no to UK, Beilein will be next on their list.

Here is a link to a list of all the coaching changes and vacancies:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2644537

Some really good jobs available in Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan, Arkansas, Princeton and some second and third tier jobs at South Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, Marshall, Indiana State Bowling Green and Iona.

ESPN.com is reporting that Creighton's Dana Altman will be anmed the new coach at Arkansas.

They also report that Michigan has offered their job to West Virginia's John Beilein.

And former Arkansas coach Stan Heath has taken the South Florida job.

Beilien has been offered the Michigan Job. It will be interesting to say the least to see if he goes or not. I believe he might leave. He has no WVU connections and has done well at WVU. If he goes, I wish him the best. I do believe WVU will this time seal the deal with Huggins. Huggins has always called WVU his "dream" job. He tells alums all the time he wasn't to coach and retire at WVU. The timing would be perfect. Hopefully, WVU's AD won't botch the deal this time.

Some folks that I am friends with here in town say he's definitely leaning towards going to Michigan(Belien is from here and coached @ Canisius as well).

I think he's nuts if he goes, Michigan for all its success on the court will always be the school of Bo Schembechler and the Big House...maybe he's looking for WV to up the ante. If I were him, I'd keep up the good work and wait for a real hoops school to come after him....like....say....Kentucky after Donovan disses them.

I wonder if WV can up the ante though, considering that they just did likewise for Rodriguez in the fall. They may not have enough wherewithal to keep both RR and JB.

Iowa's set to hire Todd Lickliter from Butler, after Kevin Stallings turned down their offer.

WVU is more than ok with $$$. WVU always runs in the black. Also, basketball has become a top revenue producer ( averagaed close to 10k this year). Most glaring, Michigan has to pay a 2.5 million dollar contract buyout. Huggy has a contract clause at K-State l(like he did at Cincy) that states only WVU isn't obligated to a contractual buyout clause. WVU can use the entire 2.5 million from Michigan and use it as a nice signing bonus while the remaining monies can be spent for upgrade facilities.


If WVU gets Huggins, consider top 10 prospect Huntington Partick Patterson a WVU commit.

Most WVU fans (myself included) are ok to Very much excited over Beilien leaving and the prospects of Huggins coming home. Beilien energized a storied WVU basketball program. WVU basketball has a buzz again for the first time since the 80's ( with exception to the 1998 Sweet 16 run) under Gale Catlett teams where WVU advanced to the NCAA tourney 6 times. Many including myself believe he can deliver a national championship.

JB's 2005 Elite 8 run was possibly the deepest he land a team in the NCAA tourney under his system. A system that is designed for exceptional shooting and passing while possesing a High Basketball IQ.

What this system lacked is top 25 type athleticism, rebounding, and was void of an inside presence. The latter was the Achilles hell of Beilien when he faced deeply athletic teams who could play with a high basketball IQ especially away from the confines of Morgantown ( more so this past year and his first two years).

His teams can win 19-23 regular season games anywhere, but when the shooting goes cold in Round 2, 3, or 4 of the NCAA tourney, the system can backfire against teams with elite talent who can stop cold shooting.

Beilein has never been more than a 4-6 year coach at any school. He rebuilds schools then leaves. He'll do an outstanding job at Michigan and get it back to a yearly NCAA team. That's exactly what Michigan needs right now. He work out brilliantly and put Michigan back on the map. Good luck to him at Michigan.

I'm looking forward to seeing Huggins in Morgantown if all falls into place. He's waited his entire life for this as has many WVU fans have the last 15 years. Let's hope WVU's new AD and Huggins can seal the deal this time. A little FYI... KSU's School President just interviewed for the WVU opening for the same position. He was big in hiring Huggins to KSU. Should be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Well the Arkansas job is still open. Dana Altman will return to Creighton.

But now Air Force will be looking for a new coach. Jeff Bzdelik is leaving to take the Colorado job.

I wonder if Altman started thinking of Arkansas as K-State v2.0. I think he realized that he had it good at Creighton and decided to stay there after all.

As of now it seems like Bzdelik is still undecided. Had his timing been earlier, Air Force could've lured back Joe Scott, who ended up leaving Princeton for Denver.

Billy Donovan is staying at Florida.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2826756

Real class act Bob Huggins is. Kansas State gives him a job when he was pretty much persona non grata in college basketball, he come sin for one year and bolts for his alma mater. Now I understand the lure of wanting to go back to your alma mater, but wasn't he offered the West Virginia job a couple of years ago and turned it down? Now Beilin has turned it into a respected program so Huggy can come in?

Kansas State reportedly has one of the top recruiting classes coming in this year so whoever gets this job will be inherting a pretty good program.

Still curious to see what Kentucky will do.

Huggins is all class and very loyal to people. He's very ypset right now. However, he is assuming controls of a place that is his destiny.

Huggins has wanted to coach at WVU for 20 years. Anyone in the know has known this. Huggins was offered the job ( kind of) 5 years ago. However, the exiting President Hardesty fumbled the deal intentionally at the last minute and Huggins bolted. WVU has a new AD coming in and WV governor and the most influential alumni were prepared for Beilein to exit. Word is they were ready for him to leave and let that be known after he courted with Indiana and NC State last season. Kudos to WVU for pro active. Also, an argument could be made that WVU provided Beilien with a platform for success as much as he provided one for WVU to have success. He did win afterall with many of the former regimes players- ( Pittsnoogle, Fischer, and Salley). All three were starters on Beilien's Elite 8 team.

Beilien is perfect to get Michigan back into the NCAA tourney. Huggins is perfect to get WVU into the basketball national championship picture.

Everyone is happy of course. Well, Beilein does have to pay 2.5 milllion to WVU. Oh well.

Knetucky has there man. Texas A&M's Billy Gillespie will be introduced as the new coach at a news conference today.

SO now who gets the A&M job?

Thuggins all class ??

which part, his players getting arrested?
the NCAA violations?
the low graduation rates?
or his DUI arrest?

http://www.ksdk.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=61971

Everyone is happy? I would ask that to people in Manhattan who thought he might stick around for more than one season.

I would ask WVU fans if they are happy that Beilien bolted. Its a doggy dog world. Eat or be Eaten. WVU went after an alum who stated WVU was his dream job. Coaches leave all the time. Were you mad when Roy Williams left Kansas for UNC? Afterall, UNC was Williams alma malter. Huggins has come home. Its as simple as that. BE Championships and more await.

West Virginia's coach didn't leave after one season.

Beilein wasn't offered his dream job after one year either, like Huggins was.


What Beilien did to WVU is worse than what Huggins did to KSU.

That's fine. I somehow doubt either of us will convince the other to change their point of view.

Guess Kentucky found itself a new coach...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2827764

Huggins Press Conference:

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/

Huggins's coaching accomplishments:

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/huggins/index.html





Huggins:

*A Two Time Academic All American Basketball Player at WVU

* Has a master's degree

* His father was a Dr. and basketball player at WVU

*27 players under Huggins that came to Cincy graduated that weren't part of the statistics because they were Junior college players, transfers, or other irregularities the NCAA doesn't count because of their flawed way of judging those statistics. If a player transfers out, he counts against. If he transfers in, he doesn't count toward helping the rates.. How out of whack is that? Its the NCAA.. We should be use this type of irregularities.

* Jerry West, a former Mountaineer player who's son will be a redshirt freshman at WVU next yea who is most likely the most influential man in the game of basketball, has rallied behind Huggins and is critical of Jon Beilein's actions in the last year of WVU. Huggins loved Kansas State. It felt like home to him as he said. However, WVU is home and its always been his dream to lead WVU to national championship. This has been known to everyone at WVU since the late 90's when Huggie Bear was an up an coming coach. Huggins could have been at North Carolina, Kentucky, or any other school and he would have left. WVU called. Its as simple as that.

It makes sense why pundits are criticizing Huggins and WVU. WVU just upgraded from a top 20 basketball program that won playing with a milk and cookies brand of basketball to one that will be competing for national championship. Big East and everyone is officially on notice.

His resume and accomplishments of being an outstanding coach and role model far outweight ONE DUI incident and the couple arrests his players have had as he's attempted to be a positive role model in troubled recruits lives.

When I see you attacking former and some current coaches at Miami, FSU, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Colorado, Baylor, USC, St. John's, Boston College, and other programs that's showed a clear case of lack of institutional control of certain sports in their athletic department that make anythign remotely involved with Huggins look like a Mary Poppins sequel.

Gillispie is a good hire by UK.


He'll insert a better offensive brand of basketball that will appease UK fans while not compromising UK's defense. UK possibly landed as good of coach IMO as Donavon or any one else.

Good for UK and Gillispie.

I'm still waiting to see what kind of program Huggins runs. WVU has had a long history of running clean programs, unlike Colorado etc

I'm sure he'll run a big-time program and keep it clean and pure. I'm more interested to see what type of student-athletes come into the program.

you can run a big-time program and keep it clean

it's been done before-Beilein did it for 5 years

Should be interesting to see how Gillespie performs at UK. Fans, students, and boosters won't settle for his bruise-it-out philosophy. They want offensive excitement in Lexington LOL

Wichita's found their replacement for Turgeon in Winthrop's Gregg Marshall (barring a case of cold feet - again). If Marshall did backtrack though, he'd become the "runaway bride" of coaching circles.

Winthrop moved fast to replace Marshall, promoting asst Randy Peele.

Rick Majerus is back in coaching, taking the head job at Saint Louis.

I wonder how long he'll be there before he leaves

That's a good fit for Rick. St. Louis has a somewhat decent tradition with good fan support. Unlike when at Utah/SLC, he can recruit Chicago, St. Louis, and other urban areas easier. He'll have the Bilikens competing for the A-10 Championship real soon.

Glad Rick is back in coaching. I knew he would come back but hopefully his previous health issues won't be a factor.

I think he'll get them to the top in a year or two

Im a huge UK fan.. we just signed 2 HUGE prospects in Patterson and Legion. Looks as though Gillispie's rep as being a good recruiter is following him to UK.

Maybe Gillispie should learn to follow through on previous UK scheduling agreements since he's landed some good incoming freshman. UMASS played in Lexington in 06. Yet, UK reneges on playing the Minutemen in Boston in 07. Another example of the Have's of college sports exploiting the have nots and keeping them in their place. Quite surprising since Travis Ford ( former UK player and Kentucky high shool basketball legend) is the coach at UMASS and Gillispie has no UK roots. This isn't a good start to winning over UK fans by insulting one of their own.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2877223

Altho I probably shouldn't be shocked, there is part of me that is surprised that Billy Donovan left UF to coach the Orlando Magic.....I thought he was going to stay at UF for a long time to come....

While it looks like he could have built a real dynasty at Florida, I guess the money and the thought of living in the giant shadow of football was too much.

isn't he back in Gainesville by now?

"giant shadow of football was too much."

If anything, he's put pressure on the football program to compete at this high of level. Anyone that wins 2 national championships in a row in college basketball doesn't have any shadow initimidating them. They are the shadow.

U are absolutely correct in thinking UK fans arent very pleased with the staffs decision in not playing UMass next season. Travis is a home grown KY boy and a staple in UKs history books. Saying that, im one of the few that actually realize it is somewhat of a business. Nothing suprises me anymore when it comes to college athletics, so I wasnt angry.