CU's Altman's decision

[Coyote]

Altman to remain at CU

A person close to the Creighton athletic department told The World-Herald late Saturday night that Altman has decided to withdraw his name from the University of Tennessee's search for a new men's basketball coach.

"He called them this evening to let them know he's staying at Creighton," the person said.

As is his policy, Altman declined to comment. Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen also declined to comment.

Altman's name surfaced early last week as a possible candidate to replace Buzz Peterson, fired March 13 with four years remaining on his contract. According to the Nashville Tennessean newspaper, Tennessee officials met with Altman in Chicago last Wednesday.

The Tennessean, citing sources close to the school's athletic department, reported that Tennessee officials also talked with Charlotte Coach Bobby Lutz that day and interviewed Alabama-Birmingham Coach Mike Anderson last Thursday. School officials then met with Wisconsin-Milwaukee Coach Bruce Pearl last Friday, the day after his team lost to Illinois in an NCAA tournament game in Chicago.

Altman and Pearl were believed to be the leading candidates for the job. Pearl has compiled an 86-38 record in four seasons at the Milwaukee school, directing the Panthers to two NCAA tournaments in the past three seasons.

Altman has led Creighton to unprecedented success in his 11 seasons. The Bluejays have compiled a 218-120 record under the 46-year-old Altman and made it to postseason play in each of the past eight seasons. Six of the past seven seasons have ended in the NCAA tournament. Creighton had made nine NCAA tournament appearances in the 76 seasons prior to Altman's arrival in 1994.

The Bluejays went 23-11 this season, ending their season with a 63-61 loss to West Virginia in an NCAA tournament first-round game. In winning 23 games, Creighton became the first team in the 98-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to record seven consecutive seasons of 20 wins or more.

The Bluejays also set a Valley record this season by winning at least 10 league games in nine consecutive seasons.

Altman's success has made him the school's highest-paid employee. According to IRS records that require private universities to list their five highest-paid employees, Altman received $672,067 for the 2003 fiscal year.

Even though Altman's total compensation package is now believed to be greater than that, he probably would have received a nice raise had Tennessee decided he was its man. Tennessee Athletic Director Mike Hamilton said the school, which will be paying three basketball coaches next season, would be willing to offer as much as $1.5 million per year to bring the right man to Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee had been wooing Altman with a multiyear deal, the person close to the CU athletic department told The World-Herald.

Tennessee will be paying two former coaches almost $1.6 million next year. The school still owes Jerry Green about $200,000 as a part of the 2001 buyout of his contract. Peterson is due $1.39 million for the four years he had remaining on his contract.

Creighton will return all but two players from this season's team. One of the Bluejays' returning players will be guard Nate Funk, who will be one of the leading candidates for the Valley's player of the year award next season.

[OmahaDevelopmentMan]

wow thats a big shocker, since so many ppl think Tennessee is such a big step up for him