Will the Bear go to Kansas?

[govu]

On today's ESPN website, the Bear is currently leading the fan poll as the top choice to replace Roy Williams at Kansas. Other sources from Big Orange Country have stated that the Bear is the frontrunner to replace long time Lady Vols Asst. Coach DeMoss who has accepted the Kentucky Lady Cats job. It is believed that if the Bear goes to Kansas, he already has verbal commitments from 6'5 Josh Keltner, Lewis County's all-time leading scorer and rebounder who would step in for All-American forward Nick Collison. Also, Larry Rodgers, Lewis County's all-time leader in assists and 3-pt. shooting percentage will replace All-American point guard Kirk Heinrich. More on this story as it develops.

[tcs]

Who exactly is "the Bear"? Don Haskins? He retired and has absolutely no connection to Tennessee.

[Theanswer]

Kansas is rumored to be going after Coach Self from Illinois. If he decides to go this should open up a chance for Tom Crean to move up to the big ten. However, the big story is the players already committed and currently playing for Kansas mainly because of Roy Williams are put in a bad situation. I think players letters of intent should be void if the current coaches leave.

[Edited by Theanswer on 4-15-03 5:56P]

[deputydog]

I agree with you answer but the powers that be say that the student athletes signed with a university not a coach. I think that the new coach, whomever it may be, has the power to release the player(s) from their letter of intent. Someone can correct me on this for I am not sure...

[Guest thestuff]

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The Kansas Jayhawks voted unanimously Tuesday to cancel their annual downtown parade, a sign of how hard the players are taking the departure of coach Roy Williams.

Williams resigned Monday to accept the job at North Carolina, his alma mater. Williams spent 15 seasons with the Jayhawks, guiding them to four Final Fours, and he left a week after the team lost to Syracuse in the national title game.

Every year, the Kansas players climb into convertibles and ride down a street in Lawrence, getting cheers from fans. But a day after Williams' resignation, no one felt like celebrating, and the players decided to abandon Thursday's parade.

"Parades are supposed to be fun," sophomore forward Wayne Simien said. "The only way we can ever have fun here again is if we can get 'The Bear' in Lawrence.

From Lawrenceburg to Lawrence, Kansas, the overall sentiment is clear, and speculation mounts as Howard Spears has to decide between following his heart to Rocky Top or follow the money to Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk. If he heads East, rumors are that he may recommend Hubie "Brown" Smith for the Kansas job. This story may play out in the coming days as Spears considers his options while teaching parallel parking and looping Sonic.

[footballfanatic]

"The Bear" will make the players want to celebrate? i don't understand. :confused:

[LegendsPRman]

The top five candidates to replace Roy Williams at Kansas, according to sources who will be involved in the hiring process, are Bill Self - Illinois; Tom Crean - Marquette;

Mike Brey - Notre Dame; Mark Few - Gonzaga; and Howard Spears - Lewis County. The big question on here of course is whether Howard "The Bear" Spears will take the job.

 

With his roots firmly planted in Hohenwald, The Bear is torn over whether to even entertain the thought of leaving Tennessee for Kansas. When Roy Williams resigned early at KU, there was immediate speculation that Spears would be the front-runner; however he angrily refused to answer questions yesterday about the job when asked by famed Lewis County Herald reporter H.O. Dunn.

 

The Jayhawks have not officially offered Spears the job, nor have they asked Dr. Tim Webb permission to speak to him.

Spears is aware, according to sources, that he would be Kansas' top choice to replace Williams. Spears has strong Big 12 ties from his tenure as a graduate assistant under Larry Brown at Kansas in the late 80s. Kansas officials say they plan to request permission soon to speak to Spears but won't restrict their search to him alone. Sources have confirmed that Kansas has been selective in forming its pool of candidates.

 

Sources close to Spears, including former player Josh Keltner and former assistant coach Hugh Smith, said he expects to decide within days whether he would like to be included in Kansas' search. Kansas officials told ESPN.com that they want this process wrapped up in a matter of days, not weeks.

 

In a closely related story Kansas recently fired athletic director Al Bohl. Rumors have been circulating in Hohenwald that should Spears be interested in the coaching position, he would try to persuade KU to hire longtime fishing buddy and close friend Wayne Tatum to fill the AD position. The duo has had much success in the past together and could push KU over the hump in basketball and finally win the big dance in the immediate future.

 

Spears is expected to release a statement this evening before the Legends game at 6:00. More as this story develops.

[Edited by LegendsPRman on 4-16-03 11:25A]