[ASU_Husker]

Same site now says he was not cleared to be coaching..
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Health issues will prevent Rick Majerus from becoming Arizona State's next basketball coach, according to sources close to the ESPN analyst and inside the Sun Devil athletic department. After heavily campaigning for the position for weeks, Majerus accepted a conditional offer pending a background check and medical clearance, but it was determined on Wednesday that he was not sufficiently physically prepared for a return to the coaching ranks.


Associated Press
Health concerns will prevent ASU from hiring Majerus
A source familiar with the discussions between ASU athletic director Lisa Love and Majerus said that concern about Majerus' health and fitness became the lone impediment to a deal ultimately being signed between the two parties.

Love met with Majerus on at least two occasions to discuss the position, with the conditional offer made in the second meeting. Majerus was said to be so excited about the position, he offered to take the job at the same annual salary that was being paid to Rob Evans, approximately $600,000.

Majerus backed out of the USC coaching job less than a week after he was hired in December of 2004, when Love worked at the school, and that along with Majerus' significant health concerns prompted Love to require more stringent medical testing clearance and background checks than would typically be the case with a coaching hire.

In addition to heart problems, Majerus is diabetic and his weight issues combined with a problem with one of his knees has reportedly made it difficult for him to walk at times. Though Majerus was willing and indeed eager to return to coaching, it appears that his health issues were significant enough to prevent it from happening, at least with ASU.

It it appears the Sun Devils will turn to either Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett, or perhaps former Indiana coach Mike Davis, both of whom have discussed the job with Love in recent days.

Bennett, 43, is one of the top young mid-major coaches in the country and particularly in the west. He jump-started the Gaels program by targeting two junior college players that became instant impact players and earned conference accolades the following year. Bennett's teams are tenacious and fundamentally sound. He has a very imaginative approach to recruiting; he'll take international players, junior college prospects and high school sleepers and meld them all together into a seamless product on the court. Bennett spent 16 years as an assistant coach at San Diego, Pepperdine and Saint Louis, working for current Washington coach Lorenzo Romar for five years before taking the job at St. Mary's in 2001.


Associated Press
Bennett may now be the favorite to land the ASU job
Bennett's grew up in Mesa, playing at Westwood High and later for his father Tom Bennett at Mesa Community College, who previously was the head coach at Gilbert High and now is an assistant at Westwood High.

St. Mary's went 2-27 the year before Bennett took over and had an RPI of 315 (out of 319). Just four seasons later, he guided the Gaels to a 25-win season, which included a 15-1 record at home and a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2005-06 version of the Gaels went 17-12, a drop off from the previous season, but they won 9-of-11 to finish the season and were playing a very young and inexperienced squad after losing four of the top six players on the team, by minutes played.

Davis, 45, expressed interest in the job after stepping down as the Hoosiers coach following his team's loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He is an intriguing, if somewhat controversial candidate considering his oft-stormy relationship with the Indiana athletic department and blunt-spoken personality.

In six seasons at Indiana, Davis' teams went a combined 115-79 and 55-41 in Big Ten play. He was the first ever coach at the school to lead his first three teams to 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances. Davis is 7-4 in the NCAA Tournament and he reached the Final Four in 2001-02.

Davis is considered to be a players' coach and he runs an offensive system that is similar to many used in the NBA.

Others who have been contacted by ASU and are reportedly still under consideration are Montana coach Larry Krystkowiak, who led his team to back-to-back Big Sky championships and NCAA berths, and current Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Lionel Hollins, a former star Sun Devil guard. As anticipated, Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon declined interest in the position on Monday.