Valvano Will Not Be UCLA Coach : Brown, Krzyzewski Now Top Candidates to Replace Hazzard

As soon as word came from UCLA that talks with North Carolina State Coach Jim Valvano were officially ended, the focus of speculation on who will take the vacated position with the Bruins switched back to Kemper Arena.

Meeting in the first game of the Final Four weekend were two coaches who are being prominently mentioned for the job, Kansas Coach Larry Brown and Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

UCLA sources said that the field is wide-open but confirmed that Brown and Krzyzewski are being sought.

In the statement released jointly by Valvano and UCLA Athletic Director Peter Dalis Saturday saying that Valvano had withdrawn his name from consideration, Dalis made it clear that Valvano was interviewed first because he was available. Dalis said: “Jim is one of the best and first available coaches with whom we have had discussions about the head coaching position, and we will continue to discuss the job with other candidates.”

Krzyzewski becamse available for Saturday.

Brown is not yet available. His Jayhawks still have one game to play, for the national title Monday night.

This is the third Final Four appearance for Brown in his seven seasons as a college coach. Brown also took his 1986 Kansas team to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Final Four, and he took his first UCLA team to the Final Four in 1980.

His first UCLA team was also his first college team.

When he was asked Saturday after his victory over Duke if he is interested in returning to UCLA, he said: “I’m not going to talk about that now. This is not the time.” But when Los Angeles reporters kept after him as he tried to make his way back to the Jayhawk locker room, he stopped to say: “I love that school. I’ve always loved that school. And I’ve always said that I was dumb to leave there without thought for returning. But I am just thrilled to be involved in this tournament right now. I just want to do what’s right here, now.”

Here and now, Brown is a local hero. He could be lynched for saying that he wants to make a move after coaching Kansas to seasons of 22-10, 26-8, 35-4, 25-11 and the current 26-11. He has three years left on his contract, which he can get out of at any time.

Although Brown cannot launch a public campaign for the UCLA job at this point, sources at UCLA say that he has talked with some of his old friends in the athletic department about laying the groundwork.

Brown might have burned some bridges with UCLA administrators when he left the job in frustration in 1981, but he has lots of friends and supporters still around to help him rebuild.

Krzyzewski, a one-time assistant under Indiana’s Bob Knight, said that no one from UCLA has contacted him about the job. Krzyzewski said: “I won’t comment until someone contacts me. I won’t deal in a hypothetical situation. If something happens, then I’ll comment.”

Which is very much the opposite of the media blitz that took place when Dick Vitale started telling a national television audience that friend Valvano was offered the UCLA job and was going to take it.

It turns out that Valvano was never offered the job. He was interviewed, and the interview did not go well.

Also in that statement released by UCLA Saturday, Valvano confirmed what Dalis had said for the last several days, that the job was never actually offered. Valvano said: “I want to stress that nothing was ever reduced to a final proposal.”

Apparently there was never a proposal involving the sums of money that Vitale was citing in his television reports. Dalis said earlier that the reported figures were way off. And after the talks with Valvano broke off, Dalis said that money was not the problem.

Sources in the UCLA athletic department say that the excitement over the prospect of hiring Valvano began to wane late Friday. Both sides left their Friday night meeting feeling that the situation was not workable.

Dalis and Valvano talked Saturday morning and decided to issue the statement that there would be no deal.

Valvano’s part of the release stated: “It is a great job, and the people I met with were wonderful, but I feel it is in my family’s best interests to stay at North Carolina State. My oldest daughter is a freshman at N.C. State, and my middle daughter is a sophomore in high school, and I think it is best for them that we stay where we are at this time.

“UCLA holds a special place in college basketball, and I’m sure they will find an outstanding coach to lead the program.”

Brown’s first Bruin team was 22-10 and lost to Louisville, 59-54, in the NCAA final. His second Bruin team finished 20-7 but lost in the first round of the tournament.

When he left UCLA, Brown returned to the National Basketball Assn. to coach the New Jersey Nets before taking the job at Kansas in 1983. Brown has made a name for himself as a coach who can turn a program around in one season.

UCLA could use a coach like that.