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Sporting News, The, Feb 22, 1999 by Mike DeCourcy

RELATED ARTICLE: inside dish

CAMPUS RUMBLINGS AND LOCKER ROOM WHISPERS

San Diego State will take a big swing at hiring Utah's Rick Majerus as its next coach and appears to understand that money won't do it alone. Utah allows Majerus uncommon freedom--rare office appearances, traveling apart from the team--other suitors would not duplicate. The Aztecs need a high-profile coach to create excitement, but Majerus will be averse to building another program with the immediate future promising at Utah. Expect SDSU to wind up pursuing Rhode Island's Jim Harrick, whose work with the Rams last season did as much for his reputation as the 1995 NCAA title he won at UCLA.... Pittsburgh has identified Xavier's Skip Prosser as its first choice for head coach, but it's questionable whether he'd want to leave the Musketeers for such a difficult situation. Expect A.D. Steve Pederson to look at former Spurs coach Bob Hill.... Could Kansas be slipping out of the NCAA Tournament with its recent slump? The Jayhawks have made every tournament for which they were eligible since 1983.... The Iowa opening will be Southwest Missouri coach Steve Alford's to take if he wants it. Other front-runners are Illinois State's Kevin Stallings and former St. John's coach Fran' Fraschilla. Duke assistant Quin Snyder is a possibility; his exploding reputation will make him a hot candidate for nearly every major job that opens.... It was tragic for Maryland center Obinna Ekezie to have his season end in February by an Achilles' injury, but perhaps not disastrous for the Terps as a team. Freshman Lonny Baxter brings an element of toughness that Ekezie was not providing. They have enough offensive weapons to absorb whatever difference may exist in scoring ability, but Baxter averaged 10.3 points and shot 61.9 percent in his first three games as a starter.... After switching to a lineup that included point guard Michael Horton and power forward Jermaine Tate, Cincinnati went 3-2 over its next five games. With those two averaging a combined nine points and three turnovers, opponents concentrated on stopping Pete Mickeal, Kenyon Martin and Melvin Levett.... The possibility of top 10 prospect DerMarr Johnson playing in college increased when his SAT score jumped to just below the qualifying line. Johnson is considering entering the NBA draft but is likely to attend Cincinnati, Connecticut, Maryland or UNC Charlotte if he gets a high enough score.