Texas Tech Fires Dickey

James Dickey was fired Friday as Texas Tech’s coach, and school officials acknowledged they have had conversations with former Indiana coach Bob Knight about taking over the program.

Athletic Director Gerald Myers said the decision to drop Dickey was made a week ago and that he and President David Schmidly met with Knight on Monday in Florida.

“We felt it was necessary for us to talk to Bob Knight to assess his interest and also our interest,” said Myers, who preceded Dickey as Tech’s coach.

Myers said he spoke with Knight on Friday to tell him he was making the announcement “and that we would be in touch with him in the near future to discuss the possibility of a campus visit.”

“I have the highest regard for Bob Knight as a basketball coach,” Myers said. “I happen to know him very well. Yes, I would say he’d be a top candidate for this job, although we’re not to a point of saying who the top candidates are.”

State law requires the job to be open for 10 business days, which means no deal could be official before March 23, according to Cindy Rugeley, a school spokeswoman.

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Administrators at Texas Christian are reportedly preparing to oust Coach Billy Tubbs, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Tubbs has a 140-80 record in seven years at the school. . . . Speedy Morris was fired after 15 years as coach at La Salle, which has not had a winning record since 1993. Morris was 239-202 with the Explorers. . . . Coach David Farrar was fired after five seasons and a 49-61 record at Idaho.