Miami has fired basketball coach Perry Clark just months before the school moves to the ACC. It's an interesting situation in a number of ways, not least of all because AD Paul Dee said recently that he didn't like doing that sort of thing because he wanted coaches to know that Miami didn't hire to fire. About the same time, President Donna Shalala got involved and boom - Clark is gone.
So Shalala has become, in a very short period of time, a major player in college athletics. She's moved Miami to a better conference, and with football being in great shape, turned to basketball.
Strategically, it's probably a smart move. They should be able to get a much better coach. One name prominently mentioned: Mike Jarvis.
Others who they might consider:
- Rick Majerus
- Matt Doherty? Never know. Weirder things have happened, and he is a highly regarded recruiter.
- Jeff Capel - he's a rising star, and knows the ACC
- Bobby Gonzalez - he'd be great there
We'll see how it shakes out, but clearly Miami is not going to enter the ACC and take a pass on basketball.