Bobby Knight, who once said he would coach basketball at Indiana or not at all, has talked to New Mexico officials about the vacant Lobo coaching job, an Indiana official says.
But New Mexico officials refused to say Tuesday if they were attempting to lure the highly successful Knight away from the Hoosiers or if they were only seeking his help in finding a new coach."I really can't tell you what we're doing right now," said university President Gerald May.
Kit Klingelhoffer, Indiana sports information director, said Tuesday night that Knight traveled to New Mexico earlier in the day.
"I know that he went to New Mexico and I know that he's talking to them about the job. Now whether they're talking to him or he's talking to them, I don't know," Klingelhoffer said from Bloomington, Ind.
New Mexico has been searching for a coach to replace Gary Colson, who resigned under pressure on April 26 after compiling a 146-106 record in eight seasons as coach of the Lobos.
Ken Johns, president of the University of New Mexico's board of regents, confirmed he met with May on Tuesday night. "The subject of basketball coach might have come up, but I really can't comment on that," Johns said.
Knight, 47, is one of the top coaches in college basketball. Since 1972 at Indiana, his teams have a 385-129 record, with NCAA championships in 1976, 1981 and 1987.
The Dallas Times-Herald, quoting unidentified sources "close to Knight and the New Mexico program," reported in today's editions that Knight has been offered a contract package in excess of $250,000 and a house worth more than $150,000 on the Albuquerque market.
"Knight is here (Albuquerque) and he has given an indication that he's going to take it," the source said. "With Knight, who knows, he might change his mind, but right now we expect him to be the next Lobos coach. He's not out here just to tell them who to hire."
The newspaper said it was told by Floyd that Knight might be visiting New Mexico as a consultant. Southern Methodist coach Dave Bliss, a close friend of Knight, is said to be among the finalists for the job. Bliss was an assistant under Knight at Army and Indiana.