Source: Gregory did not meet with Iowa AD

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta and associate athletics director Fred Mims flew from Iowa City to Cincinnati on Thursday. I saw them get off the plane and talked to them myself. That's a fact, maybe the only one we can verify so far during this coaching search.

It's easy to presume they met with high-flying Dayton Coach Brian Gregory, who suddenly is the hottest coaching prospect for Iowa's open coaching position. Not so, says a source who spoke with Gregory today.

Apparently Gregory was in Columbus today scouting at the Ohio state boys' basketball tournament. Gregory has told everyone interested in his services to wait before the end of the season to even inquire about his availability, the source said. That's not to say Gregory isn't interested in Iowa or any other job; it's just he wants to wait until the season is over before considering his future.

So, who did Barta and Mims meet with instead? It sounds like Wright State Coach Brad Brownell might be the likely choice. Brownell has led the Raiders (also located in Dayton and only 50 miles from Cincinnati) to  four straight 20-win seasons after posting zero 20-win seasons for 13 straight years before his arrival. He already interviewed for the Auburn job (which former UTEP Coach Tony Barbee accepted on Wednesday). Although he is not well-known, Brownell is widely respected and considered one of the nation's best young coaches. He led North Carolina-Wilmington to two NCAA Tournaments and took Wright State to one in 2007. His 2007 team split with a Todd Lickliter-coached Butler squad during the season and then beat Butler again in the Horizon League Tournament championship game.

Drawbacks? He's never coached in a major conference and he hails from (gulp, Iowa fans) Indiana.  He's also shopping himself around, which could be why he met with Barta and Mims.  But his reputation is solid and growing. Even if this turns into nothing, it could be a good move for Barta and Mims to have kicked the tires on Brownell because it's likely he'll end up in a major conference as soon as this year.