Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Former Knicks coach Brown favored for SMU job: report

DALLAS — Hall of Famer Larry Brown has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Southern Methodist University, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The 71-year-old former Knicks coach met with university officials at the Dallas school over the weekend, telling the paper Monday that the visit went “great” and was “more than I ever imagined.“

According to Yahoo! Sports, the sides are so far along that Brown has already started reaching out to potential assistant coaches.

Kentucky coach John Calipari, an assistant under Brown at Kansas in the 1980s, is reportedly helping in the process, along with William Wesley, a top agent for Creative Arts Agency.

Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland is seen as a possible candidate to serve on Brown’s staff if a deal is completed.

Brown last coached in the NBA with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010, and has not coached in college since 1988, when he guided Kansas to the national title. He then moved on to coach seven NBA teams over the next two decades, compiling a career record of 1,098-904

Brown, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, reached the NBA Finals with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001, and won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Brown signed a five-year contract with the Knicks in 2005, but was fired after one tumultuous season when the team 23-59.

SMU has been in search of a coach for more than a month after firing Matt Doherty, who failed to reach an NCAA tournament in six seasons.

The university is set to spend $40 million renovating its basketball arena this summer, and will move to the Big East for all sports in 2013.

Larry Brown, Southern Methodist University, The Dallas Morning News, Knicks, John Calipari, NBA, Basketball Hall of Fame, William Wesley, Rod Strickland, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas school, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Kansas, Yahoo! Sports

Nypost.com

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