Barta’s quiet search proves successful

The University of Iowa's search for a men's basketball coach nears the two-week mark amid secrecy and a daily drop-off of potential candidates.

Athletics Director Gary Barta dismissed Todd Lickliter as coach March 15, and the search continues without a conclusion in sight. Barta and Associate Athletics Director Fred Mims flew to Cincinnati on Thursday, just days after flying to Atlanta.

There are mixed reports about whether Barta and Mims interviewed candidates in either city. Jeff Goodman, foxsports.com's senior college basketball writer, has reported that Iowa interviewed Jim Boylen (Utah), Brad Brownell (Wright State) and Billy Kennedy (Murray State).

When a reporter from The Gazette approached Barta at Iowa City Municipal Airport for a search update Thursday, Barta said, “No, nothing new,” before walking to his vehicle.

Parker Executive Search, the firm that conducted Iowa's men's basketball coaching search in 2007, is located in Atlanta. The Gazette asked university officials Monday - and sent an official request Tuesday via the Freedom of Information Act - whether the athletics department has hired Parker - or any firm - to conduct the search. As of Friday, The Gazette had not received a response.

News about Lickliter's potential replacement is just as sketchy. Within hours of Lickliter's dismissal, most news organizations identified several potential candidates, including Tennessee's Bruce Pearl, Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson and Providence Coach Keno Davis. Other names bandied about include UTEP's Tony Barbee, Wichita State's Gregg Marshall and Dayton's Brian Gregory.

All but one of them - through actions or words - have declined potential feelers from Iowa. Pearl, Tom Davis' well-liked former assistant coach, spoke glowingly of Iowa City and his Iowa past to reporters Thursday in St. Louis but reiterated his desire to remain in Tennessee. Jacobson agreed to a 10-year contract extension with Northern Iowa, which was announced Wednesday by school officials.

Keno Davis told a Providence newspaper he would stay put.

“It would be tough for me to leave because of all that we've done to start turning the corner here at Providence,” Davis told the paper. “I'm not interested in that (Iowa) job, and I've let everybody know it.”

Barbee accepted the Auburn job Wednesday. UTEP Athletics Director Bob Stull told The Gazette before Barbee's departure that Iowa had not contacted his former coach.

Marshall's agent sent his resume to Iowa in 2007 when the school hired Lickliter. Thursday, he told the Wichita Eagle he declined any overtures to interview for the Iowa job.

“I respectfully declined that invitation and have had no contact with them since,” Marshall said. “Hopefully, this will end any type of speculation.”

Gregory, a former Michigan State assistant, has led Dayton to the postseason four times in seven seasons, including two NCAA tournaments. His team is in the NIT semifinals.

A source close to Gregory said the coach will not consider any openings before the season ends.

“Nobody from Iowa has tried to contact me,” Dayton Athletics Director Tim Wabler told the Dayton Daily News. “And no other school has tried to contact me.”

There are disputed reports about Boylen. The Deseret News reported Friday that Boylen had not interviewed but declined to reveal his intentions if Iowa offered him the job.

Other names rumored as potential candidates include Brownell, Tulsa's Doug Wojcik and possibly Baylor Coach Scott Drew, whose team played in the NCAA regional semifinals last night.