KANSAS CITY, Mo.
Kansas State’s search for a new men’s basketball coach isn’t expected to last much longer.
In an exclusive interview, K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said the Wildcats have compiled a strong list of candidates for the job, and they are “getting close” to the finish line. Nothing is done yet, he said. But the plan is for the school to finalize a deal with a new coach at some point this week.
Parting ways with former head coach Jerome Tang last month gave Taylor a head start on the competition. He has had plenty of time to meet with candidates and evaluate the coaching landscape. Now, it’s time to identify a top target and to start negotiating a deal.
Two candidates appear to have elevated above the rest — Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun and Creighton assistant Alan Huss.
Jerrod Calhoun is perceived to be the frontrunner
The ball, as they say, might be in Calhoun’s court.
The Wildcats have strong interest in Calhoun, for obvious reasons. Calhoun is 51-13 over his two seasons at Utah State. He guided the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament last season. This season, they won the Mountain West regular-season championship and will once again be part of March Madness.
His team is the top seed at the MWC Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Las Vegas. Utah State will play UNLV or Wyoming on Thursday.
Before his time at Utah State, Calhoun also won consistently at Youngstown State and Division II Fairmont State.
An added bonus: Calhoun served as an assistant coach under Bob Huggins at both Cincinnati and West Virginia. Huggins once breathed life into K-State basketball during his lone season in Manhattan. Two of his assistants (Frank Martin and Brad Underwood) helped the Wildcats keep winning for a few years after he left. That connection is a big draw for the Wildcats.
But Calhoun won’t come cheap. Utah State is paying Calhoun $1.85 million in salary this season. His buyout is nearly $4 million, according to a copy of his contract.
K-State could also face competition for him with Pitt. Calhoun is originally from Ohio, and Pittsburgh could offer a more desirable location for him and his family.
But Jeff Capel is still the Pitt head coach, at least for a few more days. The Wildcats are working hard behind the scenes to see if they can work out a deal with Calhoun before more suitors arrive.
If K-State and Calhoun agree on a deal, both sides will likely have to wait to publicly announce the hire. Most college basketball coaches prefer to wait until their current team is done playing before they announce future plans. But that will not stop the Wildcats from trying to reach a handshake agreement with Calhoun over the next few days.
Alan Huss could be ready for a jump to the Big 12
Huss appears to be the most viable other name in K-State’s candidate pool.
His ties to Kansas City and the Midwest make him a strong option for the Wildcats. Huss is currently the coach-in-waiting at Creighton under Greg McDermott. He agreed to that role after he guided High Point to 56 wins and one NCAA Tournament during two seasons as head coach there.
But it is unclear how much longer McDermott intends to continue coaching. If K-State offers him the job, Huss may prefer to become a head coach in the Big 12 now rather than wait to do so in the Big East.
Huss played high school basketball at North Kansas City. He has coached as an assistant at New Mexico and Creighton to go along with his head coaching experience at High Point. Details of his contract at Creighton are unknown, but his buyout is almost certainly lower than Calhoun’s.
Creighton will need to win the Big East Tournament to advance to March Madness. That means Huss could be available to start a new job in Manhattan sooner rather than later.
One more name to know
Belmont coach Casey Alexander is likely the next coach on K-State’s list, should talks fail to proceed with Calhoun or Huss.
Alexander has routinely won 20 games per season at Belmont and Lipscomb before that. The Bruins won 26 games this season and claimed a Missouri Valley regular season championship.
Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz was originally a hot name in K-State’s coaching search, but there has been little talk about him lately. It appears that he is content to sign a contract extension at SLU or to wait for a higher-profile opening.
K-State was the first power-conference school to have an opening during this coaching cycle. Boston College, Georgia Tech and Providence have all since opened. Arizona State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are expected to have jobs to fill in the near future.
The Wildcats ended their season with a loss to BYU in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday. Their final record was 12-20.
Related Stories from Wichita Eagle
Kellis Robinett
The Wichita Eagle
Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.
