Colorado State is nearing a deal with an executive search firm that will assist athletic director Jack Graham in interviewing and hiring a new head coach for the Rams' men's basketball team, according to Kelly Lyell of Coloradoan.com. Nebraska recently lured the Rams' previous head coach, Tim Miles, to accept to the same position in Lincoln.
Lyell says that Graham plans to travel to New Orleans for this year's Final Four and he'll likely be conducting interviews with possible candidates there. Annual conventions for the National Association of Basketball Coaches and its offshoot groups occur at the Final Four each year, so many of the nation's top coaches and coaching candidates should be around.
Just a few months ago, Colorado State hired Jim McElwain away from Alabama to become the new head coach of the Rams' football team. The school paid Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm, $250,000 to assist Graham in that quest. It's unclear whether the school is using the same firm, or how much it'll be paying for the services.
For more on CSU basketball, visit MWC blog Mountain West Connection and SB Nation Denver.