UCA to name new men's basketball coach Friday
The University of Central Arkansas will announce a new men's basketball coqch at a news conference at 2 p.m. Friday.
The conference will be in the Board Room of Wingo Hall.
Brad Teague, UCA's athletic director, has been out of town most of the last two days, reportedly to check out and interview candidates. Among the places he reportedly traveled was the SEC tournament in Nashville and the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City.
Matt Zimmerman, an assistant coach at Missouri who is a native of the Wonderview area, was speculated to be the top candidate. Other coaches mentioned in connection with the job, from various sources are: Steve Forbes, an assistant coach at Tennessee; Tony Madlock, an assistant at Texas-El Paso; and Jeremy Cox, an assistant at South Florida. Another prospect reported from several sources Thursday was former NBA star Corliss Williamson, who coaches at Arkansas Baptist.
Russ Pennell and James Dickey, the top candidates going in, have removed themselves from consideration. Pennell, a coach at Division II Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, told the Arizona media late last week that he made a three- to five-year commitment at Grand Canyon and he intends to honor that. Dickey is out of active coaching and living in Stillwater, Okla.
Teague reportedly had a short list of two to three coaches Thursday before he made an offer that was apparently accepted Thursday night.
