As the Georgia probe continues, investigators are focusing in on Jim Harrick.

Dooley: Harrick to return

Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley said on ESPN Radio's Gamenight that he expects embattled basketball coach Jim Harrick Sr. to return next season. "We fully expect him to be our coach next year, we haven't found any credible evidence that would justify firing him right now, but because he is in charge of our men's basketball program, we felt it was appropriate to suspend him based on the academic fraud and unethical conduct findings," Dooley said. "I would like to think he would be our coach though next season, we have to wait and see."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday that Georgia and NCAA investigators are apparently honing in and trying to pinpoint how much Harrick knew before his son, former Bulldogs assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr., wired $300 to former Georgia player Tony Cole.

According to the report, NCAA enforcement representative Chris Howard and three UGA investigators interviewed two Rhode Island men for more than an hour in Providence on Wednesday, and Steve Macchioni and Charlie Tapalian said most of the questions were about how much Harrick knew before his son sent the money to pay for Cole's phone bill in July 2001.

Macchioni and Tapalian, a Rhode Island booster, told the newspaper last week they gave Harrick Jr. the money to wire to Cole, but Macchioni said investigators' questions were more about Harrick than about Harrick Jr.

"It seemed like it was us against Harrick," Macchioni told the newspaper. "I think their whole intent in coming up here was to find out how much Harrick knew. It's like they know how they want it to end, and they're working to get to that end."

On Monday, school president Michael Adams and athletics director Vince Dooley announced that the Bulldogs' season was over because two players committed academic fraud in a class taught by coach Harrick Jr.

Dooley said the school has found no evidence that the elder Harrick was directly involved. Jim Harrick Jr. was fired last week, while his father was suspended with pay Monday, and sources told ESPN.com that Harrick expects to be fired. A dismissal would not occur until Georgia's investigation is complete.

According to the report, Georgia could save money if Harrick is fired.

He has three years remaining on his contract, which pays $600,000 per year in base salary. But if there is proof Harrick knew about the alleged NCAA rules violations, which were first made by Cole in a ESPN story, he can be fired for "deliberate and serious failure to comply with an applicable rule or regulation of the NCAA, SEC or the University." If that is the case, the university would owe Harrick nothing.

"The whole interview was about one question: Did you discuss that $300 with Harrick Sr.?" Tapalian told the Journal-Constitution. "I told them no. I just called Harrick and asked for Junior's number. He didn't ask me why I wanted it."

Macchioni told the newspaper that investigators also asked about the ongoing inquiry into the Rhode Island program, which Harrick coached from 1997-99. Harrick Jr. was an assistant coach there as well, from 1998-99.

Former basketball secretary Christine King accused Harrick of trying to change former Rams players' grades, providing them with improper benefits and academic assistance and other NCAA rules violations. King settled a $45,000 sexual harassment suit against the school.

"It came up a little bit," Macchioni told the newspaper. "But they mostly wanted to know what happened with the $300."