Rumors fly about Missouri’s next coach

The return of Missouri basketball.

Its re-emergence cemented, its prestige restored, its ceiling higher than ever before. That’s the goal in hiring the next Tiger coach.

Plenty of names have been floated. Bob Huggins is one that’s found its way into recent news coverage. Rick Majerus, too, though not with the same frequency. Throw in Kelvin Sampson of Oklahoma and Tubby Smith of Kentucky and the list of possible coaches, the list of names who can bring the Tigers back, becomes even more interesting.

The rumors certainly are intriguing.

It will likely take time, more than anything, to separate truth from rumor — with the ultimate truth coming when a contract is signed. That could come in the next couple weeks, before the Final Four even, according to some speculation. The sooner a coach is on-board, the sooner the university is removed from the former coach, thus the public-relations importance of the athletic administration’s decision.

With investigations on the mind, it might be easy to forget that the university’s athletic department is in the middle of a comprehensive search. Or maybe fans are pining for tangible names and coach-talk, rather than what has happened?

A possible fallout from the past weeks’ happenings is the dispersion of power in the hiring process: in addition to Athletic Director Mike Alden, a committee of advisers has been formed to help screen candidates. That panel includes former Missouri guard Jon Sundvold, associate AD Mario Moccia, special assistant to Alden and radio analyst Gary Link, and deputy chancellor and law professor Michael Middleton. Bob Beaudine has been hired to contact candidates. His Dallas-based business, Eastman and Beaudine Inc., act as “consultants to management in executive selection” according to its Web site.

Like the names bandied about, fans are left to wonder about the characteristics the next coach might embody. Alden and company presumably have a profile, but he has declined requests for comments on the coaching search.

Former coach Norm Stewart, who said he had not been asked for input and would not be part of the hiring process in past weeks, said “the right fit will rise to the top.” While waiting for that candidate to surface, here’s a guide to the qualities that most can agree the team’s new coach should possess.

A BIG NAME: Missouri fans need a reason to get excited, and without the hiring of a high-profile coach, they likely won’t have one. Last year’s 12-16 finish was the worst since the 1967-68 season, Stewart’s first, when MU finished 10-16. Attendance, despite a new arena, dropped for the third-straight year. Fans will be far less likely to pack the stadium for a mid-major conference up-and-comer than a proven, nationally-known personality.

CLEAN BACKGROUND: The past two Missouri coaches dealt with penalties stemming from NCAA recruiting violations. The wrong-doing of Stewart in the 1980s remained largely overlooked because his teams enjoyed a great deal of success and the majority of the blame went to assistants. Likewise, Snyder’s assistants took a fall — Tony Harvey and Lane Odom lost their jobs — and Snyder never recovered after being prohibited from leaving campus to recruit for one year because of 42 recruiting violations. Public opinion of the young coach shifted, losses mounted. Many Missouri fans want someone who can clean up the image of a recently-tarnished program.

PLEASE EXISTING PLAYERS: MU players have said that they will consider leaving if they are not happy with the team’s next coach. Among them is junior Thomas Gardner, the Big 12 Conference’s second-leading scorer this past season, and a handful of others. Many players were outraged at the handling of Snyder’s departure from the program, and it will be tantamount that Alden, at least in some fashion, clears the air. He can do this by bringing in a coach who current players want to play for, and one that can (quickly) return the program to the level of prominence it once enjoyed. The “player’s coach” label is troublesome, one that Snyder had (and resisted), and is hard to define. Like with fans, a name the players know will have an easier time, at first, winning over the masses than one who is unfamiliar.

Huggins, the currently unemployed former Cincinnati coach, is the latest name to stick in the web of rumor-flinging. The persistence of the rumor leads a bit more credence. He fits the big-name aspect, despite the fact that questionable integrity (poor graduation rate, among other things) is a mark against him. Similarly, former Utah coach Rick Majerus, also unemployed, has past NCAA success, but add health concerns and past NCAA infractions into his cons list. Sampson has been rumored to want out of Norman, Smith out of Lexington, but neither is a sure thing to move on, much less be interested in Columbia. A batch of Missouri Valley Conference coaches are baggage-less, but also lack the name recognition. Thus, they seem likely afterthoughts and second-tier choices to names like John Beilein and Jamie Dixon (of West Virginia and Pittsburgh, respectively) in the Big East, or John Calipari of Memphis.

While it’s easy to talk about who the next coach might be, MU is wading toward determining who it will be. The profile: a big-name, clean coach who will bring back the fans and the current players alike. The answer is still to be announced. But a name not fitting the outline can still succeed if, given time, they meet the standard of all those judging: Wins.