From the time Mike Anderson was terminated last week, discussions of his replacement focused on two names: Kelvin Sampson and Chris Beard.
Since the University of Arkansas could name a coach as soon as Monday, here's a closer look.
Sampson worked for University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek at Houston, where Sampson rehabilitated his name and reputation. He led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 last week, the school's best effort since 1984.
Yurachek didn't hire Sampson, but he worked tirelessly to raise money to finish updating Hofheinz Pavilion and add a practice facility. In a casual conversation more than a year ago, Yurachek said: "Kelvin is one of the best coaches in America."
It was just a statement about a friend who he respects and admires, not a pledge to bring him to Walton Arena.
Everyone knows Sampson ran afoul of the NCAA twice, first at Oklahoma and then at Indiana. His crime was talking too much to recruits. The NCAA had limits because cellphones were just reaching their peak popularity, and Sampson exceeded those restrictions.
Beard burst upon the major college scene when he led the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to a win over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. That landed him the UNLV job, but he changed course days later for the Texas Tech job at reduced pay.
Lubbock is much closer to the three daughters he loves. In his second season, the Red Raiders made the Elite Eight and Beard was rewarded with a new contract paying him more than $3 million a year.
Last week, Sampson was promised a pay raise to $3 million a year. One of the other requests he has is that his son, a current assistant coach, be named coach-in-waiting. His daughter also works in the athletic department as a marketer of Houston athletics, primarily on social media.
The question, of course, is will they come? Would they take on the monumental chore of rebuilding Razorback basketball into a constant presence during March Madness?
A source -- not the same one who said the announcement could be as soon as Monday -- said Yurachek has talked to numerous coaches about their interest. He didn't put all his eggs in one or two baskets.
The source would not, maybe could not, say who Yurachek had spoken to, but common sense dictates any coaching search would head west.
Nevada's Eric Musselman, 54, gave up the NBA life in 2015 to become the head coach of the Wolf Pack. Four seasons have him with a 110-34 record and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. He's a West Coast person.
Chris Jans, 49, took over New Mexico State two years ago and has posted a 58-11 record and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He spent the first part of his career coaching below the Division I level. He is from the Midwest.
With so many vacancies, there is no doubt Steve Alford will be employed again soon. He was fired at UCLA during the season for losing to Liberty, which had a shot at making the Sweet 16. Alford has taken four different schools to the NCAA Tournament in his 24-year coaching career.
He took the Bruins to two Sweet 16's, but his biggest problem was he recruited players so good they left for the NBA as soon as possible. He had nine declare for the NBA. He played at Indiana.
That's just a sampling. There may be more, but with Texas A&M open (unless Buzz Williams takes the job soon), LSU likely to come open and Vanderbilt open there are jobs to be had and more candidates than originally realized.
Stay tuned.
Sports on 03/31/2019