Where will Utah likely find next hoops coach?

One month ago Saturday, Rick Majerus ended his long, successful tenure as head basketball coach at Utah.

Perhaps by a month from today, a replacement for Majerus will be named.

Then again, maybe not.

University of Utah athletic director Chris Hill has begun the process for selecting a new coach to replace Majerus, but characteristically, he isn't saying much. And he doesn't plan to.

Going by his past modus operandi in selecting a coach, Hill won't allow any information to leak out. Fans and media types can speculate all they want, but no information will come from him.

It's likely we won't know who the new Utah man is until the day he comes to town for a press conference. As usual, Hill is keeping mum about the subject and being as vague as possible in his answers.

When asked about the timetable for selecting the new coach, he said, "I hate to put a deadline on it."

As for the kind of coach he's looking for, he said, "What everybody else is looking for."

When asked if MWC rival UNLV's looking at the same pool of candidates might speed up the process, he said, "I don't think so."

Hill did say he doesn't expect to name a new coach until after the Ute season is over, which would be about March 17 at the soonest (a first-round NIT loss) or the first week of April (a long run through the NCAA Tournament or NIT) at the latest.

A report by ESPN late last week said that Hill has already talked to Lon Kruger, a successful college coach for three major programs, who also coached the Atlanta Hawks. Hill wouldn't confirm or deny, saying, "I'm not going down that path of discussing which coaches we're talking to."

When the Ute season is over, many of the schools with coaches that Hill is looking at also will be through playing. By then, Hill should have his list whittled down to a handful of candidates.

If his top choice is available, Hill could act quickly. If his candidate is making an extended run into the NCAA Sweet 16 or Elite Eight or beyond, the selection will come in April, probably after the Final Four weekend (April 3-5).

That's OK with Hill.

"I'm hoping to be talking to people that are playing a long time into March," Hill said.

The big question is: Who does Hill want to talk to?