Daily News-Record

It appears to be a two-man race between Matt Doherty and Dean Keener.

James Madison athletic director Jeff Bourne said Wednesday he still expects to name the Dukes' next basketball coach this week, but that a formal announcement may not come until Friday.

All indications suggest that Doherty, the former North Carolina coach, and Keener, an assistant at Georgia Tech, are the frontrunners.

"We expect to finalize things tomorrow," Bourne said during an interview in his office Wednesday. "We'll hit our goal of announcing by the Final Four."

Bourne plans to leave for the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio on Friday.

JMU apparently is battling St. John's for Doherty's services. New York Newsday reported this week that Doherty was the No. 1 candidate at the Big East school.

St. John's would likely offer more money if it settles on Doherty, but Madison might offer more stability. The school's basketball program has been in turmoil since coach Mike Jarvis was fired on Dec. 19 after lackluster results on the court and a string of off-the-court legal problems among the players.

JMU would offer about half what even untested Big East coaches typically earn -- $500,000 or more a year - but that's generous by "mid-major" standards.

Bourne repeated Wednesday that Madison is looking to pay its new coach a base salary of between $225,000 and $250,000, but said that number could go up slightly if necessary.

All of that money would come out of athletic department funds, Bourne said. The new coach also would almost certainly have a radio contract, a shoe contract and a basketball camp that would add several thousand more dollars to the package.

Even the base salary could make the new coach JMU's highest-paid employee. University president Linwood H. Rose earns about $244,000 a year.

"In order to deliver a coach who can get this program where we want it to be, we have to be willing to compensate them at a level that is comparable to our peers," Bourne said.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that Doherty also has shown interest in the Miami job that came open when Perry Clark's contract was bought out last week.

Two other candidates remain on Madison's list -- North Carolina State assistant Larry Hunter and Clemson assistant Ron Bradley - but they are not considered frontrunners.

Although JMU plans to announce a hiring this week, the school will not hold a press conference until next week to avoid conflicts with the Final Four. For one thing, the 38-year-old Keener is helping prepare the Yellow Jackets for a semifinal game Saturday against Oklahoma State.

The 42-year-old Doherty visited the JMU campus on Monday.

Neither he nor Keener has returned phone calls this week.

A source at North Carolina State said Hunter and his wife left for San Antonio and the Final Four on Wednesday.

Bourne said all four of the final candidates are qualified and would be a good fit for Madison. He said he expects the new coach's hiring to reenergize the Dukes' fan base.

"I think the fans will recognize our commitment and diligence in finding an individual who can lead our basketball program back to a high level," he said. "I think this will be a person who will relate well to the community."

Keener was a JMU assistant in 1999-2000, Madison's last winning season. After going 20-9 that year, the Dukes strung together four straight losing seasons, leading to Sherman Dillard's forced resignation on March 7.
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