Jayhawks’ Doc Sadler mentioned for Tech job

By Gary Bedore     Sep 22, 2012

Nick Krug
Doc Sadler, former Nebraska head coach, laughs next to Kansas guard Travis Releford as they watch the final minutes of the campers' basketball game against the counselors on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the Horejsi Center.

Two former Texas Tech basketball assistants are being mentioned as possible replacements for Billy Gillispie, who resigned his Red Raider coaching position Thursday amid health concerns and allegations that he mistreated players.

Former UTEP and Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler, who is currently working as director of basketball operations at Kansas University, and North Texas assistant Rob Evans, former head coach at Mississippi and Arizona State, could be leading candidates, ESPN’s Andy Katz reports.

Sadler, who like KU coach Bill Self is a good friend of Gillispie’s, succeeded Gillispie at UTEP before heading to Nebraska.

“Sadler could come into a league that he knows extremely well after coaching in the Big 12 at Nebraska. He also understands West Texas as a longtime junior college coach who mined the area and had to recruit it again at UTEP,” Katz wrote on Friday at ESPN.com. ESPN.com’s Jason King and Dana O’Neil also have mentioned Sadler as a possibility at Tech.

Katz indicated that Evans could serve as interim until after the season, when current North Texas coach Tony Benford, a former Tech player, likely would be interested in pursuing the opening.

Katz also mentioned former New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus, a current assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“Theus would give the Red Raiders a name, like Sadler, and infuse energy in the program after a troubled season,” Katz wrote of Theus, who has no Texas Tech ties.

Texas Tech university spokesman Blayne Beal told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on Friday that Tech would like to name an interim coach within the next two weeks. Chris Walker, associate head coach under Gillispie, is now in charge of the day-to-day operations of the program.

Self and his staff have a policy of not commenting on possible interest in job vacancies.

Jackson with Jazz: Former KU forward Darnell Jackson will attend preseason training camp of the Utah Jazz. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Jackson does not have a guaranteed contract. He played for the Sacramento Kings’ summer-league team this past July after playing in Ukraine last season.

Peters adds KU to list: Roddy Peters, a 6-4 senior point guard from Suitland High in District Heights, Md., has KU on his revised list of prospective colleges, CBSsports.com reports. Peters, who is ranked No. 39 nationally by Rivals.com, is visiting Rutgers this weekend. He is also considering Maryland, Georgetown, UCLA and Xavier, with Maryland the heavy favorite.

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