Men's Basketball: Hawkeye coaching speculation is under way

IOWA CITY — When one era ends, another begins. In the interim of both, Iowa’s men’s basketball program faces a purgatory of coaching speculation in the next 10 to 14 days.

Todd Lickliter was fired as coach on Monday, and Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta has a litany of criteria for Lickliter’s successor. That includes leadership, past success, good relations with athletes and sharing the same standards as the university when it comes to recruiting and representation.

But there’s neither a timetable nor a short list for Barta, who joked about the perception that athletic directors keep a coach close by when one leaves the school.

“Could you send those to me so I can look at it?” Barta said.

The real question for Iowa is, who’s next? Hawkeye fandom seems committed toward Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl or Providence’s Keno Davis. Both have strong ties to Iowa with Pearl coaching under former Hawkeye coach Tom Davis, while Keno Davis is, well, Tom Davis’ son.

Tennessee was ranked No. 1 under Pearl in 2007. The school locked him up for six years in 2009 at $2.3 million a season plus a hefty buyout.

Keno Davis led Drake to a school-record 28 wins two years ago before it lost in the NCAA tournament’s opening round. He led Providence to an upset of then-No. 1 Pittsburgh and an NIT bid last year before limping to a 12-19 record with a young squad this year.

But who else is out there?

Start with Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson, who led the Panthers to two Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles plus a school-record 28 wins this year.

Referring to the Iowa position, Jacobson told the Waterloo Courier: “That’s not something I think about. We’re working on getting ready for the game on Thursday.”

What about Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings, the Southeastern Conference coach of the year? Barta had Stallings in the final two in 2007 and reportedly offered him $1.5 million, $300,000 more than Iowa gave Lickliter. But depending how you hear it, Stallings turned down the job or was never offered it.

Saint Louis University coach Rick Majerus took Utah to the national title game in 1998. One Cedar Rapids television station reported that he was the next Iowa coach in 2007, so maybe the station was right all along.

Scott Drew took over at Baylor in 2003 in the wake of a player-on-player murder, a cheating scandal and several transfers. He now has the Bears (25-7) ranked No. 19.

UTEP’s Tony Barbee led his team to a 26-6 record this year and was a seven-year assistant at Memphis under John Calipari.

Gregg Marshall took Winthrop to seven NCAA tournaments and guided Wichita State to a 25-win season this year, including a 17-point victory against Iowa.

Then there’s a list of coaches at mid-majors, such as Utah State’s Stew Morrill, the 2010 Western Athletic Conference coach of the year. Morrill has led Utah State to at least 23 wins in each of the past 11 years.

Or Chris Mooney of Richmond (26-8). The Spiders beat Florida, Missouri, Mississippi State and Temple and are seeded No. 7 in the South Region.

Randy Bennett has led St. Mary’s (26-5) to back-to-back solid seasons. Brian Gregory, a former Michigan State assistant, led Dayton to 27 wins last year. Steve Lavin once coached UCLA to the Sweet 16 five times and now is a broadcaster.

Assistant coaches Joe Dooley of Kansas and Paul Lusk at Purdue also could get looks.

The list is endless. Barta wouldn’t reveal his potential “short” list, but he didn’t avoid the subject altogether before replacing Lickliter.

“I have not contacted any coaches. I don’t play that game,” Barta said. “But obviously it’s my job to be aware of the landscape, to over time to be watching coaches, to watch and know personalities of various coaches around the country,” he said.

Barta also said it’s not about the money. Iowa will pay for the best coach who fits the program, he said.

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