Harrick, Mulligan Express Interest in USC Job

It has been reported that Jim Harrick has done about all he can do at Pepperdine and that, perhaps, it’s time to move on--if he can find the right coaching situation.

He would like to stay in Southern California and would be gratified, his friends say, if he were to become the new coach at the University of Southern California.

That job became available Tuesday when Stan Morrison, USC’s coach for the last seven years, announced his resignation to become an associate athletic director at the school.

“If USC is interested in me, I would be interested in them,” Harrick said Wednesday.

USC has just begun the process of selecting a new coach through a committee process.

USC Athletic Director Mike McGee said that he didn’t want to be held to a timetable in regard to choosing a coach because many of the candidates are involved in the NCAA tournament.

Harrick is one of them. His Waves, the Western Collegiate Athletic Conference champion with a 25-4 record, will meet Maryland in a first-round NCAA tournament game Friday at the Long Beach Arena.

Whenever there is a major coaching vacancy, schools announce grandly that they’re conducting a nationwide search.

Perhaps, the Trojans won’t have to look any farther than their own backyard.

Harrick, the four-time WCAC coach of the year, is presumably available. So is UC Irvine’s Bill Mulligan, the 1986 coach of the year in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.

Mulligan, a former USC assistant coach, was asked if he’s seeking the USC job.

“I’d be interested in talking to them,” Mulligan said cautiously.

Harrick and Mulligan have the advantage of having recruited in this area while maintaining numerous contacts.

That fact isn’t lost on the USC administration, although there are such other coaching prospects as:

--Boyd Grant, Fresno State’s successful coach, who resigned Monday, although those close to Grant say he wants to get out of coaching.

--Gary Colson, New Mexico’s coach, who formerly coached at Pepperdine, is presumably interested in the job.

--John Block, a former USC star player, and a former head coach and assistant at the University of San Diego and Oral Roberts, respectively, also is presumed to be interested.

Other possible candidate are Bill Foster, who just resigned as South Carolina’s coach, and George Karl, the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Karl also has been mentioned for the vacancy at the University of Pittsburgh.

It’s believed that Gary Williams, the Boston College coach, was McGee’s first choice for the USC job. But Williams is likely to become Ohio State’s coach. A Columbus, Ohio, newspaper has reported that Williams’ appointment at Ohio State would be announced this afternoon.

It has also been rumored that McGee already has some definite candidates in mind and that the committee process is a smoke screen.

One of those would be Cincinnati Coach Tony Yates, who was hired by McGee when McGee was that school’s athletic director.

But Yates’ three-year record of 32-55 isn’t very attractive.

Bob Boyd’s name has also surfaced. The former USC coach has left Mississippi State and is reportedly not interested in coaching in the college ranks anymore.

Major coaches will not necessarily be lining up for the USC job, though. The basketball program has long been a stepchild to the football program; there is apathy among students and alumni that is reflected in the small crowds over the years at the Sports Arena, and there aren’t many perks, such as a radio or TV show or a summer basketball camp, to attract a big-name coach .

USC is also the only school in the Pacific 10 that doesn’t have a campus arena. Rival schools point out those things to potential recruits.

There is a plan within the university to either make the Sports Arena a more attractive site or build a campus facility, although that latter project is down the road.

Although McGee and Morrison said at a Tuesday night press conference that they had formerly discussed the possibility of Morrison’s moving into the administrative field, it’s believed he was forced to resign in the wake of USC’s last-place standing in the Pac-10 and ongoing personnel problems, most recently the suspension of forward Derrick Dowell.

Not only has Morrison left the coaching job he held for seven years, but there also is a possibility that some of his star freshmen players may transfer to another school.

Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, both recruited from Philadelphia by assistant coach David Spencer, said they were upset and shocked by Morrison’s resignation.

Gathers, Kimble and freshmen Tom Lewis and Rich Grande reportedly met late Tuesday night to express their support for Morrison, saying they wanted their coach to stay.

There isn’t the likelihood of that, but Spencer said he hopes to be retained by the new coach.

“The assistants are still working and recruiting, and hopefully I’ll be retained,” Spencer said. “If not, I don’t intend to get out of coaching.”

Even though Morrison is no longer USC’s coach, Spencer said that USC has not lost out in the recruiting competition to sign Chris Monk, a 6-9, 235-pound prep star from San Francisco. After early signings, USC has only one scholarship available.