Raveling Will Stay With USC : Trojans: Calling it his hardest decision, coach agrees to a multi-year extension.

“Please Stay Harold and Ravs.”

That was the message a USC basketball fan displayed on a sign before the Trojans upset second-ranked Arizona in their final home game.

All-American guard Harold Miner hasn’t decided whether to skip his final season at USC to enter the NBA draft in June, but Coach George Raveling decided to remain at USC, agreeing to a multi-year contract extension Thursday.

Details of the contract weren’t disclosed, but it is believed that Raveling agreed to a five-year deal with a one-year roll-over.

Raveling has had an offer to become executive director of the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches (NABC) since last fall. He delayed making a decision until after the season ended.

“Three weeks ago, I had no intention of coming back to USC,” said Raveling, who is here for the Final Four and the NABC convention. “One of the things that concerned me was, would I ever get another opportunity like this that would be a comfortable exit from coaching? It was a good fit for me because I could stay close to the game. It would have been like coaching, except I wouldn’t have to coach or recruit.”

Raveling finally decided Saturday to remain at USC, after consulting with the coaches of two highly regarded college basketball teams, his son, Mark, and a USC player.

“I think it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make since I’ve been in coaching,” Raveling said. “From the first part of the season I had made up my mind that I was going to leave when the season was out. I started to vacillate as we came down to the end. Based on conversations I had with people I really respect, and once I listened to both sides of the issue, it just seemed that it was in my best interest to stay in coaching.”

Overhearing Raveling, Kansas Coach Roy Williams quipped: “Besides that, if Harold told me to stay, I’d stay too.”

Raveling said he doesn’t know whether Miner, who led the Trojans to a school-record-tying 24 victories and their second consecutive NCAA tournament bid, will return to USC.

“If I were going to bet, I’d say he’s leaving,” Raveling said. “But he’s signing up for summer school.”

Although most NBA scouts predict that Miner would be a lottery pick in the 1992 draft, factors that could influence him to stay are the decisions of Louisiana State center Shaquille O’Neal and Ohio State guard Jim Jackson. Both are juniors contemplating the draft. If O’Neal and Jackson leave for the NBA, it will weaken next year’s draft and strengthen Miner’s bargaining position.

“We talked right before he went on spring break and agreed to sit down and have some serious talks about whether he should go or not,” Raveling said. “I don’t think at this point Harold has enough information to make an intelligent decision. I think he’s going to continue to weigh who’s going hardship and who isn’t because that will affect whether he goes or not.”

Miner said he is happy that Raveling was staying at USC.

“It’s great he’s coming back,” Miner said. “He’s great for the kids and he’s such a credit to the coaching profession. There was a point in the season when I thought he wasn’t coming back, but in recent times I figured he was going to be back at USC.”

USC Athletic Director Mike McGee agreed with Miner.

“We are very pleased to have George Raveling back as our coach,” McGee said. “What he represents is a head of a program that has done the right thing. We like the kind of rapport he has established with the USC community and we can’t overlook his relationship with the students. George is right where he belongs in coaching.”

After the Trojans compiled a 38-78 record in Raveling’s first four seasons and finished or tied for last place in the Pac-10 three times, McGee decided to stick with Raveling for the final year of his original five-year contract.

Raveling rewarded McGee’s patience, guiding USC to consecutive NCAA tournament bids for the first time in 31 years. Raveling has compiled a 46-17 record since March of 1990, including a 24-6 record this season, which was highlighted by two victories over UCLA and triumphs over Ohio State and Arizona.

Raveling was named Pac-10 coach of the year and the national coach of the year by Basketball Weekly after the Trojans’ most successful season since 1979.

“When George Raveling came on campus six years ago, he was faced with some pretty tough decisions, short-term and long-term,” McGee said. “He made the long-term decisions and as a result he has my long-term support.

“We have built a foundation and he’s an expert in winning at USC, there’s no question about that.”

Raveling, 54, has compiled a 302-268 record in 20 seasons as a head coach at Washington State, Iowa and USC, where he is 81-94 in six seasons.

Raveling’s Coaching Record

Overall Conference Year School W L W L 1972-73 Washington State 6 20 2 12 1973-74 Washington State 8 21 3 11 1974-75 Washington State 10 16 1 13 1975-76 Washington State 19 7 9 5 1976-77 Washington State 19 8 8 6 1977-78 Washington State 16 11 7 7 1978-79 Washington State 18 9 10 8 1979-80 Washington State 22 6 14 4 1980-81 Washington State 10 17 3 15 1981-82 Washington State 16 14 10 8 1982-83 Washington State 23 7 14 4 1983-84 Iowa 13 15 6 12 1984-85 Iowa 21 11 10 8 1985-86 Iowa 20 12 10 8 1986-87 USC 9 19 4 14 1987-88 USC 7 21 5 13 1988-89 USC 10 22 2 16 1989-90 USC 12 16 6 12 1990-91 USC 19 10 10 8 1991-92 USC 24 6 15 3 Career 20 seasons 302 268 149 187

Conference Year Finish 1972-73 Eighth 1973-74 Seventh (tie) 1974-75 Eighth 1975-76 Fourth 1976-77 Third (tie) 1977-78 Third (tie) 1978-79 Fourth (tie) 1979-80 Third 1980-81 10th 1981-82 Fifth 1982-83 Second 1983-84 Seventh (tie) 1984-85 Fifth (tie) 1985-86 Sixth 1986-87 10th 1987-88 Eighth (tie) 1988-89 10th 1989-90 Seventh (tie) 1990-91 Third (tie) 1991-92 Second) Career

Times staff writer Gene Wojciechowski contributed to this story.