NCAA Tournament 2000 - Nebraska zeroes in on Butler coach

Nebraska zeroes in on Butler coach
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- A source confirmed to ESPN.com that Nebraska athletics director Bill Byrne has tabbed Butler coach Barry Collier as his top choice to replace Danny Nee.

The move came in response to Tulsa's Bull Self, who turned the Huskers down Friday.

Collier, who led the Bulldogs to within a possession of a first-round upset of Florida in the NCAA Tournament, is expected to meet with Byrne on Sunday after the athletics director returns from a commitment in Nebraska.

Byrne offered Self $1.1 million but he decided to stay at Tulsa, where he's expected to receive a new six-year contract worth $700,000 to $800,000 per year.

Coaching chatter

Loyola Marymount athletics director William Husak told ESPN.com that Eastern Washington coach Steve Aggers was his leading candidate to replace Charles Bradley after Metro State (Colo.) coach Mike Dunlap turned the Lions down. Dunlap could be the leading candidate at Colorado State. Husak said he still needed to talk to another coach or two before he makes a decision.

Dayton's Oliver Purnell and Delaware's Mike Brey remain viable candidates at Georgia Tech.

Houston assistant coach Reid Gettys is still awaiting word to see if he will be a candidate for the position vacated by Clyde Drexler's resignation.

Martin keeping low profile
Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin, named the Associated Press player of the year Friday, said he won't watch the Final Four on television or at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Martin said it would be too painful to watch after he broke his leg in the Conference USA quarterfinal against Saint Louis.

Martin said he's glad the injury occurred during the first game of the C-USA tournament, rather than during the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, he said once he is healthy, he will work out with Cincinnati freshman DerMarr Johnson.

Martin said he advised Johnson not to leave school early, but the 6-foot-9 guard opted to declare for the NBA draft. Martin said he wants to advise him before the draft, both on the court and off in the next few months.

NABC and NCAA clashes
The NCAA's Bill Saum said the organization will meet with the coaches, athletics directors and presidents over the next four months to ensure that the same kind of suspensions dealing with amateurism that happened this season don't occur next season -- at least not due to miscommunication.

The vote on deregulating amateurism won't happen until April 2001 and the coaches' association fears that the interpretation of pre-existing relationships will lead to more suspensions next season. Players such as St. John's Erick Barkley and Michigan's Jamal Crawford were suspended this season for associations with people before they arrived at college.

"We'll get on the same page before next season," Saum said during an NCAA Issues Forum on ESPN Radio, taped Friday night.

Meanwhile, the coaches' association met Friday and endorsed the NCAA's attempt to rid gambling on college events in Nevada. They were against the present proposal of deregulating amateurism as well as the present legislative proposal to give only four scholarships per school per season.

The NCAA is expected to counter that proposal with limiting each school to eight scholarships over a two-year period, with a maximum of five each season. NCAA president Cedric Dempsey wants the limitation to reduce transferring and running off players. But the coaches are against limiting scholarships in any way.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.


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