UALR didn't look long -- or far -- for its next men's basketball coach.
Two days after it was announced Chris Beard was leaving the school for UNLV -- 51 hours, to be exact -- UALR said in a release Wednesday it would introduce its next coach at an 11 a.m. news conference today at the Jack Stephens Center.
Wes Flanigan glance
EDUCATION Little Rock Parkview (1993), Auburn (1997)
PLAYING CAREER After his senior season at Little Rock Parkivew in 1993, was named Mr. Basketball in Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Three-year starter at Auburn (1993-1997), scored 1,208 career points and led th eTigers in scoring (11.0 points per game) and assists as a senior. He’s second all-time at Auburn in assists (573).
22nd all-time on auburn’s scoring list before this season, 1208 yards
2114 assists as a junior
freshman record at auburn for aissts 137 and
led auburn in scoring as a senior in 1996-1997 11.0 points per game and free throw shooting 66.7 percent
The release did not name the new coach, but two sources with knowledge of the decision confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Wednesday that associate head coach Wes Flanigan will be promoted to the position.
Flanigan, a Little Rock Parkview graduate, spent this past season as associate head coach for Beard as the Trojans went 30-5, won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and upset Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Flanigan -- who was out of the state recruiting Wednesday, according to two sources -- will become a head coach for the first time. He was previously an assistant at UALR under former coach Steve Shields in 2004-2008; at Nebraska under Greenwood native Doc Sadler in 2010-2012; and at Mississippi State under Rick Ray in 2012-2015.
UALR Athletic Director Chasse Conque did not return a request for comment Wednesday. Conque hired Beard on April 8 in part because of Beard's prior experience as a head coach. Beard had led two junior colleges and two Division II programs before becoming UALR's head coach. But Conque said Monday, when it was announced Beard was leaving for UNLV, that prior head-coaching experience wasn't necessary with this hire.
"I think it was really important for where we were with the program last year," Conque said at the time. "Moving forward, I'm not so sure that same profile is exactly what we need at this time. There are a lot of things that we were able to put in place because we had a previous year with a proven head coach."
When asked specifically Tuesday about Flanigan's candidacy, Conque said only that "all the candidates will be vetted."
Former UALR coach Steve Shields, who is now a special assistant to Coach Kim Anderson at Missouri, hired Flanigan from Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2004. Reached Wednesday night, Shields said he spoke highly of Flanigan's credentials when Beard called him last season to vet him as a potential hire.
Shields said Wednesday that Flanigan is "a perfect fit for Little Rock."
"Wes wants to be in central Arkansas," Shields said. "I'm sure he's on cloud nine. I'm not speaking for Wes, but I would think this is Wes' dream job."
Flanigan expressed interest in the head coaching job last season, but he was not granted an interview. He was hired by Beard as associate head coach May 12, and said then he appreciated the chance to return to his hometown. He starred in the 1990s at Little Rock Parkview, and his father, Al Flanigan, is currently Parkview's coach.
Wes Flanigan does have local recruiting ties. He played high school and AAU basketball in Little Rock, and he recruited Arkansas players at every stop. At Nebraska, he helped sign forward David Rivers, a Little Rock Hall product who became a starter in his senior season. At Mississippi State, he recruited guard I.J. Ready, a Parkview graduate who averaged 9.2 points and led the Bulldogs with 134 assists as a junior this past season.
When he was hired by Beard, Flanigan said he would make recruiting central Arkansas players one of his focal points, and he got started last fall. The Trojans signed Parkview guard Ryan Pippins and Malvern guard Andre Jones, a first-team All-Arkansas Preps pick this year, during the early signing period in November.
"You just want to recruit the best possible guys that can win championships," Flanigan said when he was hired in May. "If it happens to be Arkansas kids, so be it. I would love to gives those guys an opportunity. Hopefully, some of them will stay home for us."
It is unclear as to whether any other assistants will remain on Flanigan's staff. One source told the Democrat-Gazette that assistant coach Brian Burg is expected to join Beard at UNLV.
Sports on 03/31/2016