Wednesday, February 1, 2012

No offer extended to VCU’s Grant for basketball opening

By on March 25, 2009

GRANT
Design Editor
GRANT

If an offer is extended to Anthony Grant to coach the Georgia men’s basketball team, it will come only from University President Michael Adams and athletic director Damon Evans, a University official said Tuesday.

After reports that Adams and Evans met Grant in Atlanta to discuss an offer were deemed false, speculation about the possibility of the search firm Parker Executive offering Grant began. Associate athletic director and sports information director Claude Felton ended that discussion Tuesday.

“I can assure you that any offer to coach Georgia would come from Dr. Adams and Damon Evans, not Parker Executive,” Felton said.

Parker Executive Search of Atlanta was hired to help conduct a search for potential candidates and to make initial contact. The firm’s responsibility ends there.

Grant has yet to be offered, but has been considered a leading candidate by the media and fans alike since Dennis Felton was fired January 29. Other rumored possibilities for Grant’s future include Alabama, who has been granted permission to speak to the coach by VCU, Arizona and potentially Kentucky, if Billy Gillispie is fired.

Grant boasts a 76-24 record in three seasons at VCU, having made the NCAA tournament two times. In 2007 the Rams upset Duke in the first round. VCU lost 65-64 to UCLA in this year’s tournament Thursday.

Grant served 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Florida under Billy Donovan, winning a national title in 2006.