Colleges

USF expects a visit from Winthrop coach

This weekend represents USF athletic director Doug Woolard's best window to bring in a top candidate.

By GREG AUMAN
Published March 24, 2007

TAMPA - With most coaches convening at the Final Four in Atlanta next week, this weekend represents USF athletic director Doug Woolard's best window to bring in a top candidate and show him around campus.

ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported Friday that Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall, who Woolard visited in South Carolina on Tuesday night, is expected to fly to Tampa this weekend.

Marshall, 44, has had continuing negotiations with Winthrop about a new 10-year contract paying about $400,000 a year, but he remains interested in further discussions with USF as well. Katz reported that Marshall would not accept an offer from USF without returning home to ponder the decision.

And there's nothing to suggest there isn't still a mutual interest between USF and South Alabama coach John Pelphrey, despite his being mentioned as an outside candidate for the prestigious opening at his alma mater, Kentucky. Pelphrey met with Woolard last weekend.

Woolard isn't commenting on candidates during the search process, but he has enlisted the help of former Alabama coach and Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton.

"When I had a hire to make, I called people I respected and picked their brains," said Newton, who is helping gratis and has known Woolard since his days as a high school coach in Illinois.

Despite USF's 4-28 record in two years of Big East play under coach Robert McCullum, who was fired on March 9, Newton said there's a positive perception of the opening.

"There's some people who will shy away from a challenge, but I think it's a very good job," he said. "It's a tough job because of the strength of the league, but if I were a young coach, it would be the kind of job that would appeal to me."

GREENBERG'S BROTHER NAMED COACH: Brad Greenberg, the associate head coach on brother Seth's staff at Virginia Tech, was introduced as coach at nearby Radford. Greenberg, 53, has never been a head coach. He was director of basketball operations for his brother at USF before both went to Virginia Tech in 2003.

MORRIS GOES PRO: Kentucky junior center Randolph Morris signed a free-agent contract with the Knicks. Smith averaged 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds and was first-team All-SEC.

WYOMING: Heath Schroyer was named coach, coming from Fresno State, where he was associate head coach for two years. Before that, Schroyer was coach at Portland State.

Information from Times wires was used in this report.

[Last modified March 24, 2007, 00:37:38]