University of Utah athletic director Chris Hill has always been one to keep confidential his candidates when searching for new U. coaches.
The University of Washington is in the process of hiring a new athletic director. The Washington search committee chairman, Michael Eisenberg, has said that they won't discuss possible candidates for the open job.
But that doesn't stop the media from speculating. A story in the Seattle Times on Wednesday named seven possible candidates for the job — including the U.'s Hill. The story also quoted Eisenberg saying that "dozens" of applications and nominations for the job were made prior to the April 30 deadline.
Hill, contacted on Wednesday, didn't want to comment on whether he is interested in becoming Washington's athletic director. It is unknown if he even applied or was nominated prior to the deadline.
"I never talk about searches when I'm doing one, and I reserve the right to do the same in a situation like this," Hill said.
Being courted by other institutions is nothing new for Hill, who has been Utah's athletic director since 1987. Duke, Arizona State, Miami, Virginia and others have attempted to lure the New Jersey-bred Hill away. He came closest to taking the Duke job when offered in 1998 but decided to stay.
"Nothing that I've looked into was better for me at that time in my career," Hill said in a February interview when asked about the previous job openings he has turned down in the past.
Whether things have changed enough now that the Washington or any other job would be enticing enough to pose serious interest for the 54-year-old Hill is unknown. He has acknowledged that his 17-year stay as Utah's A.D. has been much longer than he'd anticipated.
"I've never really thought about (Utah) being where I'm going to be forever, but who knows?" he said in February.
Earlier this year Hill was named to the 10-member men's basketball NCAA Tournament Committee — the people who seed "The Big Dance" from 1 to 65 and select the at-large teams. His five-year term begins in September. His selection was seen as a boon for the Mountain West Conference, since the league hasn't had a representative on that committee for several years.
If Hill were to take another job in college administration — at Washington or elsewhere — he would take the NCAA selection committee assignment with him. The spot is not transferrable to someone else at the U. or the MWC.
Washington, meanwhile, doesn't seem to be in a huge hurry to hire a new athletic director. The Huskies' interim athletic director, Dick Thompson, has agreed to stay on until Sept. 30, if needed.
Washington is in the process of being investigated by the NCAA for gambling and recruiting violations. According to the Seattle Times, some top candidates for the athletic director job may want to wait until the NCAA rules before accepting the position. The NCAA will hear UW's case June 11 in Indianapolis but might not rule until late July.
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com