We will update this thread as events warrant, but we'll try to keep everything in one spot for you.
*******
Thursday 9:35PM
Orangebloods.com has confirmed that VCU head coach Shaka Smart will be the next men's head coach at The University of Texas.
Thursday 9:07 PM
Just heard from a source that this thing is trending in the right direction for Texas. This person thought the finish line was in sight. Working to gather more info.
Meanwhile, multiple people on the scene in Richmond report that Shaka Smart is in the building and had no comment.
********
Thursday 8:55 PM
Multiple reports out of Richmond that VCU will now hold its team meeting at 10 PM ET, 9 PM CT. Some reporters on the scene have seen basketball personnel entering the facility.
********
Thursday 8:00 PM
Michael Phillips in Richmond tweeted that his beat guy heard the VCU meeting has been delayed. He is a writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
More waiting.
*******
Thursday 6:15 PM
ESPN's Jeff Goodman reports that Shaka Smart has called an 8PM ect (7PM central) meeting with his team.
This is a very good indicator for the Longhorns in my opinion. Sources are still confident. Might hear the words you want to hear within the hour.
*********
Thursday 5:15 PM
Here's a look at the pep rally of VCU fans hoping to keep Smart in Richmond.
Thursday 4:30 PM
Steve Patterson has landed in Richmond, Virginia and was seen exiting the plane. Now, we wait. Will Shaka be on the plane back with him?
Thursday 3:15PM
Richmond TV has confirmed that Steve Patterson is in the air, choosing to fly out of Georgetown instead of Austin.
@Chip8News 5m5 minutes ago Just got tip about flight inbound to #RVA. Left Georgetown, TX stop in Stillwater, OK. Now en route to RIC-Chesterfield Exec. airport.
@Chip8News 3m3 minutes ago {CONT} Flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:10pm at RIC Chesterfield Executive airport. Georgetown, TX is 30 min from Austin, TX.
Thursday 1:30PM
All is quiet on the Shakla Smart front for now, but business is expected to pick up in a big way in the coming hours, as Steve Patterson makes his way to Richmond with the intent of bringing Smart back with him.
While I've had multiple sources tell me this is a deal on the verge of being closed, it's not a done deal and there are expectations that if Patterson is going to close the deal, he'll have to do it in road territory.
At least that was the opinion of what I would call a high-level source.
"I think Patterson has to close the deal in Virginia. Lot of details to hammer out," the source said.
So, there ya go. This is Steve Patterson's show and those with knowledge of what's going down believe that there's work to do when the plane touches down in Richmond. Stay tuned.
Wednesday 7:40PM
Multiple Texas officials have confirmed that Texas athletic director Steve Patterson plans to fly to Richmond tomorrow to meet with Smart and bring him back to Austin on Thursday night. The plan at that point would be for Smart to see everything on campus and around the city of Austin the following day. Should be a busy next 48 hours,
Wednesday 4:00 PM
ESPN's Jeff Goodman is reporting Texas has zeroed in on Shaka Smart to fill its open head coach position. Goodman mentions a source told him "nothing is done," and that one source indicated Smart is getting a feel for Texas athletics director Steve Patterson. HornsDigest.com's Chip Brown tweeted Texas was hoping to finalize a five-year deal with Smart.
A high-ranking UT source with knowledge of the process indicated a positive outlook on Smart and Texas happening, but also indicated that nothing was finished.
"The ball is in his court," the source said.
From what we've gathered, there isn't any sort of contractual issue and it's a matter of Smart pulling the trigger.
We kicked the tires some on Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams, Utah's Larry Krystowiak, and Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg earlier this morning and heard of zero connection to the Texas job at this time. Also, it was announced that Xavier extended head basketball coach Chris Mack's contract by one year through the 2020-21 season.
Really, the only coach we've heard at all today in connection to Texas is Smart. The only name anyone else is really mentioning is Smart. That's probably not an accident.
And as this stuff continues to float around, VCU hasn't released anything. If you take all the available pieces of the puzzle, it's starting to get closer to being finished. But it still needs that one final piece.
*******
Wednesday 2:00PM
A Virginia source with knowledge of the VCU program reports that local coaches in the area have already started to line-up for a chance to be the next VCU coach, assuming that Shaka Smart takes the job in Austin. Obviously, that's pulling the cart in front of the horse, but the buzz out in Virginia continues to suggest that Smart is eventually going to reach a deal with the Longhorns.
FYI, a report today on the salaries earned by coaches that made the NCAA Tournament indicated that Smart made 1.57 million this past season.
Wednesday 12:00 PM
Tidbit to pass along: was told from someone on the Tennessee side of things that he's hearing Texas assistant Rob Lanier is waiting to see what happens with the Texas job before potentially making a move (like joining Barnes in Tennessee). Lanier was on the Florida staff with Shaka Smart when Smart was with the Gators for a season, and would be a candidate (probably a strong one) to join Smart's staff at Texas if Texas names him head coach. If it's not Smart, you could see Lanier join Barnes to Tennessee.
********
Wednesday 9:30 AM Update
After working the phones yesterday throughout the entire day, here is what we can pass along about the Texas head coach opening:
Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated tweeted out that Texas’ firm had reached out to Villanova’s Jay Wright and Virginia’s Tony Bennett. Both, according to Davis, didn’t express interest and Texas moved on.
So Texas is again using a firm in a coaching search, which really isn’t that odd. And it seems to be the way Texas athletics director Steve Patterson operates. The firm reaches out on his behalf, strikes up a conversation, gets the information it needs, and moves on.
A reason why you could see some info like the Bennett and Wright news hit the media is because Texas wants to not only do its due diligence, but also wants it to look like publicly it is in order to aid any negotiations behind the scenes. As of yesterday evening, one source indicated to us that Texas was looking at around five candidates. The feeling of this person was that VCU’s Shaka Smart was the main candidate at this time, but that the search hadn’t reached the point where Texas had made its pick and went all-in. As for the other candidates, this person was unsure but did mention that Utah’s Larry Krystkowiak made sense. It’s possible that coaches like Wright and Bennett were on that list as well, although we’re working to gather info on more potential candidates. A separate source indicated that Patterson was encouraged by some to make sure he examined multiple candidates.
As for Smart, one person told us yesterday that the VCU head coach or his camp had communicated with Texas’ firm but not Patterson. We’re still working to get that from multiple places, but the interesting thing about that is that we’ve yet to see info publicly about Smart telling Texas “no thanks” like Wright and Bennett evidently have. When I checked with someone dialed into the Virginia program about Bennett, he responded instead about Smart and that the word around that area last year was that Smart had interest in the Texas job then. He’s turned down attractive jobs in the past, but we’ve yet to hear that the soon-to-be 38-year-old head coach isn’t interested in the Texas opening.
As for Gregg Marshall, a source indicated that the $3 million figure floated out there – I believe the Austin American-Statesman was first to mention that – is a pretty firm figure. Plus, the same person passed along this:
“Winning is the most important thing, but you have to remember as well whoever is hired needs to be able to energize a fan base, help raise money for the new arena, and also be able to stick around long enough to see that through.”
As we’ve mentioned before, it sounds like Marshall’s personality made Texas hesitate some as it went deeper into discussions, and from the people we’ve talked to thus far, there just isn’t a sense Texas wants to throw top-five coaching money at someone when it really shouldn’t have to. It feels like a potential salary of $3 million, or something in that vicinity, is plenty.
Some people have asked about Texas strength coach Todd Wright. A source indicated that he believed Rick Barnes would want Wright to join him at Tennessee, but that Wright would have a hard time leaving Austin and that he was open to working with the new staff.
As for the timing of this, it sounds like there isn’t a rush to wrap the search up immediately. (McComas)
********
Tuesday 6:10 PM Update
@SethDavisHoops · You can add Virginia's Tony Bennett to the list of people contacted by Texas' search firm. He probably could have had the job, but said no.
Tuesday 1:15 PM Update
Per Seth Davis of SI
@SethDavisHoops · I've learned that Texas' search firm reached out to representatives of Jay Wright to gauge his interest. Was told thanks but no thanks.
Tuesday 12:35 PM Update
Multiple sources are telling OB that Texas is out of the mix for Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. According to a Bama source we spoke with, Marshall is in decision-making mode with his family. One of the sources we spoke with from Wichita (the same one that was confident that Marshall was strongly looking at Texas) reports that it is down to WSU and Alabama, and there's some thinking that WSU might be trying to raise money in an effort to keep Marshall.
Tuesday 11:40 AM Update
Seth Davis of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated tweeted out that there have been no direct talks between VCU's Shaka Smart and Texas, according to a knowledgeable source. ESPN's Jeff Goodman replied to Davis that he had heard the same.
Like we mentioned last night, Patterson and Smart did not meet yesterday, according to a source. We've yet to hear that they have. We're working to gather more concrete details on this, but one person passed along that someone, not Patterson, from Texas or on Texas' behalf reached out to Smart's camp to open the lines of communication and gauge interest. It's possible that, like in the past, Patterson is using some sort of firm or consulting to help with the process, but that's just educated guessing at this point after asking around and reading between the lines, and we're working to gather more info on that.
*******
Monday 10:40PM Update
Never change, coaching searches.
As Will Muschamp would say, you have to "remove the clutter", and there aren't many things that include more constant clutter than a coaching search. Texas' search for a new basketball coach remains ongoing. Here's what we can pass along after digging throughout the day:
--- This morning, our friends over at TideSports.com reported that Alabama AD Bill Battle was on his way to Wichita, Kansas to meet with Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. Alabama has made it no secret it wants Marshall. The original report cited that the salary offered was expected to be more than $3.4 million. We heard from one source that the offer could be as high as $24 million guaranteed over six years.
A Wichita news outlet reported that when Battle left Wichita after eight hours, Marshall was not with him.
We've heard from multiple places that Marshall has a definite interest in the Texas opening, and also from sources both on the UT and Wichita State side that Marshall and the Longhorns have discussed the opening. In fact, one source mentioned that someone from Texas, not Steve Patterson, flew to Wichita Sunday evening, but we're working to gather more details on that. We haven't heard about an offer, but one person on the Wichita side indicated that Marshall wants Texas but that the crazy money Alabama is throwing around might be hard to turn down. This person felt like Texas wouldn't have to match, but would have to really come through with an enticing offer to make the decision easier.
Tonight, the Alabama chatter has quieted somewhat, and Marshall hasn't accepted the Tide's offer as far as we know.
--- As for VCU's Shaka Smart, he's been linked to the Texas job since the moment it opened, and we've heard that he is a top candidate. According to CBS' Jon Rothstein earlier this afternoon, Texas and Smart are in discussions about Texas' head coaching position. 247's Jerry Meyer tweeted that he's heard Texas Smart and will offer, an offer he's likely to accept.
While we haven't heard about Texas offering Smart the position, we have heard that Smart has an interest in the position. However, if Patterson and Smart met, it wasn't today, according to a source.
--- On the Texas players' side of things, I confirmed with a UT spokesperson that Patterson met with the Texas players sometime late Sunday. I'm told the meeting was basically for Patterson to give a players a lowdown of what's going on, and also to tell them his door is open any time they want to come talk to him about the search process.
We continue to hear that the search isn't likely to drag on for weeks.
Also, I was told that Rick Barnes met with the Texas players that were in Austin on Sunday - some were out of town and unable to make it back by Sunday - and expressed how much they meant to him, that they and Texas will be fine in the future, to keep working, and that he'll be fine.
Obviously, Barnes wasn't kidding when he said Sunday during his exit press conference that he'll be coaching sooner than we think. Numerous reports are out that Barnes is going to be Tennessee's next hoops coach. A little birdie actually spotted Barnes at the Austin airport Sunday night, and when I asked one UT source about Barnes and the Tennessee interest, the source responded "people just call and offer the guy. There isn't an interview." It sounds like Tennessee and Barnes talked as soon as Barnes knew he was on the way out.
--- Xavier head coach Chris Mack's name has been floated as a potential target for Texas. After checking with two sources on the Xavier side of things, one indicated no knowledge of any connection there while another said Mack had interest in the Tennessee job, and would also have interest in Texas, although that source also didn't know of any connection or Texas discussion as of earlier this afternoon.
Mack is an intriguing name with some success at Xavier, but it just seems like he's probably in that tier of candidates below the top names right now. (McComas)
This post was edited on 4/2 11:49 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 3:12 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 4:30 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 5:17 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 6:37 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 7:14 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 7:26 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 8:00 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 8:55 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 8:56 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 9:08 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 9:35 PM by Ketchum
*******
Thursday 9:35PM
Orangebloods.com has confirmed that VCU head coach Shaka Smart will be the next men's head coach at The University of Texas.
Thursday 9:07 PM
Just heard from a source that this thing is trending in the right direction for Texas. This person thought the finish line was in sight. Working to gather more info.
Meanwhile, multiple people on the scene in Richmond report that Shaka Smart is in the building and had no comment.
********
Thursday 8:55 PM
Multiple reports out of Richmond that VCU will now hold its team meeting at 10 PM ET, 9 PM CT. Some reporters on the scene have seen basketball personnel entering the facility.
********
Thursday 8:00 PM
Michael Phillips in Richmond tweeted that his beat guy heard the VCU meeting has been delayed. He is a writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
More waiting.
*******
Thursday 6:15 PM
ESPN's Jeff Goodman reports that Shaka Smart has called an 8PM ect (7PM central) meeting with his team.
This is a very good indicator for the Longhorns in my opinion. Sources are still confident. Might hear the words you want to hear within the hour.
*********
Thursday 5:15 PM
Here's a look at the pep rally of VCU fans hoping to keep Smart in Richmond.
Thursday 4:30 PM
Steve Patterson has landed in Richmond, Virginia and was seen exiting the plane. Now, we wait. Will Shaka be on the plane back with him?
Thursday 3:15PM
Richmond TV has confirmed that Steve Patterson is in the air, choosing to fly out of Georgetown instead of Austin.
@Chip8News 5m5 minutes ago Just got tip about flight inbound to #RVA. Left Georgetown, TX stop in Stillwater, OK. Now en route to RIC-Chesterfield Exec. airport.
@Chip8News 3m3 minutes ago {CONT} Flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:10pm at RIC Chesterfield Executive airport. Georgetown, TX is 30 min from Austin, TX.
Thursday 1:30PM
All is quiet on the Shakla Smart front for now, but business is expected to pick up in a big way in the coming hours, as Steve Patterson makes his way to Richmond with the intent of bringing Smart back with him.
While I've had multiple sources tell me this is a deal on the verge of being closed, it's not a done deal and there are expectations that if Patterson is going to close the deal, he'll have to do it in road territory.
At least that was the opinion of what I would call a high-level source.
"I think Patterson has to close the deal in Virginia. Lot of details to hammer out," the source said.
So, there ya go. This is Steve Patterson's show and those with knowledge of what's going down believe that there's work to do when the plane touches down in Richmond. Stay tuned.
Wednesday 7:40PM
Multiple Texas officials have confirmed that Texas athletic director Steve Patterson plans to fly to Richmond tomorrow to meet with Smart and bring him back to Austin on Thursday night. The plan at that point would be for Smart to see everything on campus and around the city of Austin the following day. Should be a busy next 48 hours,
Wednesday 4:00 PM
ESPN's Jeff Goodman is reporting Texas has zeroed in on Shaka Smart to fill its open head coach position. Goodman mentions a source told him "nothing is done," and that one source indicated Smart is getting a feel for Texas athletics director Steve Patterson. HornsDigest.com's Chip Brown tweeted Texas was hoping to finalize a five-year deal with Smart.
A high-ranking UT source with knowledge of the process indicated a positive outlook on Smart and Texas happening, but also indicated that nothing was finished.
"The ball is in his court," the source said.
From what we've gathered, there isn't any sort of contractual issue and it's a matter of Smart pulling the trigger.
We kicked the tires some on Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams, Utah's Larry Krystowiak, and Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg earlier this morning and heard of zero connection to the Texas job at this time. Also, it was announced that Xavier extended head basketball coach Chris Mack's contract by one year through the 2020-21 season.
Really, the only coach we've heard at all today in connection to Texas is Smart. The only name anyone else is really mentioning is Smart. That's probably not an accident.
And as this stuff continues to float around, VCU hasn't released anything. If you take all the available pieces of the puzzle, it's starting to get closer to being finished. But it still needs that one final piece.
*******
Wednesday 2:00PM
A Virginia source with knowledge of the VCU program reports that local coaches in the area have already started to line-up for a chance to be the next VCU coach, assuming that Shaka Smart takes the job in Austin. Obviously, that's pulling the cart in front of the horse, but the buzz out in Virginia continues to suggest that Smart is eventually going to reach a deal with the Longhorns.
FYI, a report today on the salaries earned by coaches that made the NCAA Tournament indicated that Smart made 1.57 million this past season.
Wednesday 12:00 PM
Tidbit to pass along: was told from someone on the Tennessee side of things that he's hearing Texas assistant Rob Lanier is waiting to see what happens with the Texas job before potentially making a move (like joining Barnes in Tennessee). Lanier was on the Florida staff with Shaka Smart when Smart was with the Gators for a season, and would be a candidate (probably a strong one) to join Smart's staff at Texas if Texas names him head coach. If it's not Smart, you could see Lanier join Barnes to Tennessee.
********
Wednesday 9:30 AM Update
After working the phones yesterday throughout the entire day, here is what we can pass along about the Texas head coach opening:
Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated tweeted out that Texas’ firm had reached out to Villanova’s Jay Wright and Virginia’s Tony Bennett. Both, according to Davis, didn’t express interest and Texas moved on.
So Texas is again using a firm in a coaching search, which really isn’t that odd. And it seems to be the way Texas athletics director Steve Patterson operates. The firm reaches out on his behalf, strikes up a conversation, gets the information it needs, and moves on.
A reason why you could see some info like the Bennett and Wright news hit the media is because Texas wants to not only do its due diligence, but also wants it to look like publicly it is in order to aid any negotiations behind the scenes. As of yesterday evening, one source indicated to us that Texas was looking at around five candidates. The feeling of this person was that VCU’s Shaka Smart was the main candidate at this time, but that the search hadn’t reached the point where Texas had made its pick and went all-in. As for the other candidates, this person was unsure but did mention that Utah’s Larry Krystkowiak made sense. It’s possible that coaches like Wright and Bennett were on that list as well, although we’re working to gather info on more potential candidates. A separate source indicated that Patterson was encouraged by some to make sure he examined multiple candidates.
As for Smart, one person told us yesterday that the VCU head coach or his camp had communicated with Texas’ firm but not Patterson. We’re still working to get that from multiple places, but the interesting thing about that is that we’ve yet to see info publicly about Smart telling Texas “no thanks” like Wright and Bennett evidently have. When I checked with someone dialed into the Virginia program about Bennett, he responded instead about Smart and that the word around that area last year was that Smart had interest in the Texas job then. He’s turned down attractive jobs in the past, but we’ve yet to hear that the soon-to-be 38-year-old head coach isn’t interested in the Texas opening.
As for Gregg Marshall, a source indicated that the $3 million figure floated out there – I believe the Austin American-Statesman was first to mention that – is a pretty firm figure. Plus, the same person passed along this:
“Winning is the most important thing, but you have to remember as well whoever is hired needs to be able to energize a fan base, help raise money for the new arena, and also be able to stick around long enough to see that through.”
As we’ve mentioned before, it sounds like Marshall’s personality made Texas hesitate some as it went deeper into discussions, and from the people we’ve talked to thus far, there just isn’t a sense Texas wants to throw top-five coaching money at someone when it really shouldn’t have to. It feels like a potential salary of $3 million, or something in that vicinity, is plenty.
Some people have asked about Texas strength coach Todd Wright. A source indicated that he believed Rick Barnes would want Wright to join him at Tennessee, but that Wright would have a hard time leaving Austin and that he was open to working with the new staff.
As for the timing of this, it sounds like there isn’t a rush to wrap the search up immediately. (McComas)
********
Tuesday 6:10 PM Update
@SethDavisHoops · You can add Virginia's Tony Bennett to the list of people contacted by Texas' search firm. He probably could have had the job, but said no.
Tuesday 1:15 PM Update
Per Seth Davis of SI
@SethDavisHoops · I've learned that Texas' search firm reached out to representatives of Jay Wright to gauge his interest. Was told thanks but no thanks.
Tuesday 12:35 PM Update
Multiple sources are telling OB that Texas is out of the mix for Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. According to a Bama source we spoke with, Marshall is in decision-making mode with his family. One of the sources we spoke with from Wichita (the same one that was confident that Marshall was strongly looking at Texas) reports that it is down to WSU and Alabama, and there's some thinking that WSU might be trying to raise money in an effort to keep Marshall.
Tuesday 11:40 AM Update
Seth Davis of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated tweeted out that there have been no direct talks between VCU's Shaka Smart and Texas, according to a knowledgeable source. ESPN's Jeff Goodman replied to Davis that he had heard the same.
Like we mentioned last night, Patterson and Smart did not meet yesterday, according to a source. We've yet to hear that they have. We're working to gather more concrete details on this, but one person passed along that someone, not Patterson, from Texas or on Texas' behalf reached out to Smart's camp to open the lines of communication and gauge interest. It's possible that, like in the past, Patterson is using some sort of firm or consulting to help with the process, but that's just educated guessing at this point after asking around and reading between the lines, and we're working to gather more info on that.
*******
Monday 10:40PM Update
Never change, coaching searches.
As Will Muschamp would say, you have to "remove the clutter", and there aren't many things that include more constant clutter than a coaching search. Texas' search for a new basketball coach remains ongoing. Here's what we can pass along after digging throughout the day:
--- This morning, our friends over at TideSports.com reported that Alabama AD Bill Battle was on his way to Wichita, Kansas to meet with Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. Alabama has made it no secret it wants Marshall. The original report cited that the salary offered was expected to be more than $3.4 million. We heard from one source that the offer could be as high as $24 million guaranteed over six years.
A Wichita news outlet reported that when Battle left Wichita after eight hours, Marshall was not with him.
We've heard from multiple places that Marshall has a definite interest in the Texas opening, and also from sources both on the UT and Wichita State side that Marshall and the Longhorns have discussed the opening. In fact, one source mentioned that someone from Texas, not Steve Patterson, flew to Wichita Sunday evening, but we're working to gather more details on that. We haven't heard about an offer, but one person on the Wichita side indicated that Marshall wants Texas but that the crazy money Alabama is throwing around might be hard to turn down. This person felt like Texas wouldn't have to match, but would have to really come through with an enticing offer to make the decision easier.
Tonight, the Alabama chatter has quieted somewhat, and Marshall hasn't accepted the Tide's offer as far as we know.
--- As for VCU's Shaka Smart, he's been linked to the Texas job since the moment it opened, and we've heard that he is a top candidate. According to CBS' Jon Rothstein earlier this afternoon, Texas and Smart are in discussions about Texas' head coaching position. 247's Jerry Meyer tweeted that he's heard Texas Smart and will offer, an offer he's likely to accept.
While we haven't heard about Texas offering Smart the position, we have heard that Smart has an interest in the position. However, if Patterson and Smart met, it wasn't today, according to a source.
--- On the Texas players' side of things, I confirmed with a UT spokesperson that Patterson met with the Texas players sometime late Sunday. I'm told the meeting was basically for Patterson to give a players a lowdown of what's going on, and also to tell them his door is open any time they want to come talk to him about the search process.
We continue to hear that the search isn't likely to drag on for weeks.
Also, I was told that Rick Barnes met with the Texas players that were in Austin on Sunday - some were out of town and unable to make it back by Sunday - and expressed how much they meant to him, that they and Texas will be fine in the future, to keep working, and that he'll be fine.
Obviously, Barnes wasn't kidding when he said Sunday during his exit press conference that he'll be coaching sooner than we think. Numerous reports are out that Barnes is going to be Tennessee's next hoops coach. A little birdie actually spotted Barnes at the Austin airport Sunday night, and when I asked one UT source about Barnes and the Tennessee interest, the source responded "people just call and offer the guy. There isn't an interview." It sounds like Tennessee and Barnes talked as soon as Barnes knew he was on the way out.
--- Xavier head coach Chris Mack's name has been floated as a potential target for Texas. After checking with two sources on the Xavier side of things, one indicated no knowledge of any connection there while another said Mack had interest in the Tennessee job, and would also have interest in Texas, although that source also didn't know of any connection or Texas discussion as of earlier this afternoon.
Mack is an intriguing name with some success at Xavier, but it just seems like he's probably in that tier of candidates below the top names right now. (McComas)
This post was edited on 4/2 11:49 AM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 3:12 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 4:30 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 5:17 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 6:37 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 7:14 PM by Ketchum
This post was edited on 4/2 7:26 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 8:00 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 8:55 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 8:56 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 9:08 PM by DustinMcComas
This post was edited on 4/2 9:35 PM by Ketchum
