Coaching Rumor

[Joe]

I know I'm gonna hear it from USFan, however, I've stated it before one of my best friends from high school is a sports writer for a newspaper in the Dallas/FW area.

I have been told that USF has talked to Matt Doherty about the job and that he is interested.

[flsportsfan83]

I know I'm gonna hear it from USFan, however, I've stated it before one of my best friends from high school is a sports writer for a newspaper in the Dallas/FW area.

I have been told that USF has talked to Matt Doherty about the job and that he is interested.

would be a good hire

[RHBullsFan]

I would love that. Hope ths is true. If so, got to love the fact that DW is considering so many guys. Seems like he is eager to find a good fit for this program.

Doherty got a bad ra at UNC. The guy is a great recruiter.

[JoeB]

He's the one guy that I think would be a great fit for USF.  SMU is nice, but USF has a better upside being in the Big East.  His one year at ND was a good one in the conference.  It basically propelled him to the UNC job.

[JoeB]

He was 22-15 that one year at ND, 8-8 in conference.  I think everyone would take that at USF.  It would finally get us to the Conference Tourney, which is a step in the right direction.  He led them to the NIT Finals that year.  

Also, didn't he recruit the UNC team that ended up winning the title in 2004?  The same bunch of players that basically quit on him by going 8-20 or so a couple years prior to the title.    

[RHBullsFan]

****, I almost forgot about him at ND. He did a goof job recruiting there as well. Nice to see his track record inthe BE.

[BULLfreak]

where is he now last I heard he was at FAU

[TyBull]

where is he know last I heard he was at FAU

He is at SMU....

probably hoping to get out of C-DOA..... :'(

[Guest BasketBull.]

Sources say Doherty accepts reins at SMU Incentive-laden deal could pay ex-UNC coach $600,000LINK

11:19 AM CDT on [highlight]Monday, April 24, 2006[/highlight]

By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News

UNIVERSITY PARK – After several days of negotiating and trying to decide, Matt Doherty is leaving Florida Atlantic for SMU.

On Sunday, Doherty accepted an offer to coach the men's basketball team at SMU, according to university sources.

SMU president Gerald Turner met with Doherty on Sunday afternoon and finalized the deal.

Doherty will meet with the 18-person search committee today and, if approved, probably will be introduced no later than Tuesday, sources said.

Doherty was unavailable for comment.

Doherty will replace Jimmy Tubbs, who was fired this month.

The hire ends days of talks that started last Monday when Doherty officially interviewed with incoming athletic director Steve Orsini.

When Doherty was offered the job at midweek, he told SMU officials he needed to think about it.

Orsini didn't return a phone call seeking comment.

SMU made the job difficult to turn down.

Doherty was offered a yearly [highlight]salary of $600,000 if incentives are met. [/highlight]

Doherty earned a base salary of $171,000 at Florida Atlantic. Tubbs was to earn $325,000 in the third year of his contract and $400,000 in the fourth year. When SMU fired Tubbs, it reached a deal that paid him in excess of $600,000.

Doherty asked for an increase in the basketball budget and $300,000 in salaries for assistant coaches. He also demanded a commitment to a basketball practice facility and upgrades to Moody Coliseum, sources said.

Doherty leaves Florida Atlantic after one season where he went 15-13 and lost in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun conference tournament.

"I think he did a super job," FAU athletic director Craig Angelos told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He left the program in much better shape than when he took over."

Doherty has a $200,000 buyout in his Florida Atlantic contract.

Doherty made a splash at Florida Atlantic after [highlight]he spent two seasons away from the game working for ESPN and CSTV. [/highlight]

But Doherty made his name at [highlight]North Carolina, where he once played. He coached three seasons at North Carolina, going 26-7 in his first campaign. He was named Associated Press National Coach of the Year after that year. [/highlight]

But after two difficult seasons, he was forced to resign with a 53-43 mark.

"Matt was a little overwhelmed with that job at first," said the Mavericks' Jerry Stackhouse, a UNC alum. "He's a great recruiter, and he has a chance to end up as a great coach somewhere. It's a good move for him. Texas is Texas, and it's a state with great players."

[highlight]Before UNC, Doherty spent one season at Notre Dame, where he went 22-15. [/highlight]

Now, he's coming to the Hilltop with a chance to rebuild a struggling program that hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1993 and last had a winning season in 2002-03.

E-mail cwatkins@dallasnews.com

MATT DOHERTY

Age: 44

Career record: 90-71

Notable: Graduated from North Carolina in 1984 with a degree in business administration and dean's list honors. ... Was a teammate of Michael Jordan at UNC. ... Worked in New York City for three years as a bond salesman for Kidder Peabody & Co. Inc. before getting into coaching. ... Served as an assistant coach at Davidson and Kansas before his first head coaching job. ... Considered a strong recruiter.

DOHERTY YEAR-BY-YEAR  

Season  School  Record  

1999-2000  Notre Dame  22-15  

2000-01  North Carolina  26-7  

2001-02  North Carolina  8-20  

2002-03  North Carolina  19-16  

2005-06  Florida Atlantic  15-13  

2006-07  SMU 3-13 (C-Doa) 14-17

-----------------------------

He'd be a second tier coach on my list, but better than some of the others. Q: Is he damaged goods?

[Joe]

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news Basketbull, but USF is probably not getting a 1st tier coach. Dorherty would be a great hire, and it's the "name" that several on this board have said they would like to see here.