Search continues for Sooner coach
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
4/5/2006
NORMAN -- Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione spoke with the media for 90 minutes last Wednesday, right before launching his quest to replace Sooner basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.
Then he vowed he was done talking about the issue until he could introduce the next coach and has said almost nothing publicly since then.
Castiglione has been so secretive that those inside both OU's athletic department and its basketball program have asked inquiring media what they know.
On the fringe, while rumors have run wild, solid information has gone dry. The World has reached just one supposed Sooner candidate directly, Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon, who was in Indianapolis for the Final Four.
Turgeon had little to say: "I don't want to comment on that right now."
Then he disappeared back into the Final Four frenzy, not to be heard from again. Not yet, anyway.
Wichita State athletic director Jim Schaus told the Wichita Eagle he was encouraged by the talks he'd had with Turgeon over a contract extension. But then, as of late Tuesday, no extension had been signed.
Earlier Tuesday, sources close to Turgeon said the six-year Shocker coach was extremely
happy working for Schaus at Wichita State. However, they also said Turgeon would be extremely interested in OU, and guessed that if Castiglione hadn't made contact with Turgeon, he had with Roy Williams, the North Carolina coach who has known Turgeon since the two worked together on Williams' first Kansas staff in 1988, to gauge Turgeon's interest.
Where does that leave other potential candidates?
Villanova's Jay Wright, Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, Miami's Frank Haith and Creighton's Dana Altman all told media outlets they were happy right where they were.
Of course, that's what Sampson said two weeks before packing his bags for Indiana.
Charlotte's Bobby Lutz and Oregon's Ernie Kent told their local papers they had not been contacted. No word yet on George Washington's Karl Hobbs. GW athletic director Jack Kvancz, who granted Cincinnati permission to speak to Hobbs about the Bearcats' recent vacancy, was out of the office Tuesday and did not return phone calls.
Then there is Memphis' John Calipari, whose reported interest in OU late last week revved up Sooner fans.
Sooner fans can see him, but they'll have to turn on Fox Sports' "Best Damn Sports Show" to do so. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Calipari is scheduled to host the program Wednesday. Then he'll be off recruiting, and then, maybe, he'll visit Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson about fattening his $1.5 million-a-year contract.
And, the Commercial Appeal reported, Johnson has not taken a single call requesting permission to speak with his coach.
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Guerin Emig 581-8355
[email protected].