Murray State University Athletics
University Overwhelmed By The Number Of Quality Candidates
3/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In the five days since the position has been open, E.W. Dennison has had little trouble putting a list of candidates together for the men's basketball head coaching position.
“It's not surprising that we've had a lot of interest in the job, but it's overwhelming trying to deal with the many phone calls and resumes,” Dennison said from his office early Friday morning. “Right now it seems that we're constantly on the phone with some of the top head coaches and athletic directors in the country who are recommending top assistant coaches, as well as current head coaches, for this job.
“All the head coaches I've talked to in the last few days have told me what an attractive job this is because of the success of our program,” said Dennison. “I think we've known for years what a great program we have, but it's nice to hear coaches and athletic directors at the top of their professions talk about our tradition, facilities, fan support and commitment to maintaining a championship program.”
Dennison further explained that there is no leading candidate and that the university is keeping its options open.
“We're going to move as quickly as we can, but we're also going to move as thoroughly as we can,” said Dennison. “We'd love to have a new coach in place as soon as possible so he can get a jump on spring signing. But, this is not a race and the ultimate goal is to hire the best coach we can.”
Because of the time element involved, coupled with the number of quality candidates, Dennison said the university will use a thorough research process in the quickest manner possible.
“At this point we haven't decided the format we'll use for selecting our next coach,” he explained. “But we know that our fans are very interested in this process and we're going to keep them updated on our progress as much as we can, consistent with the secrecy that some of the top applicants often demand.”
