Hill isn't in a hurry to hire new coach

University of Utah athletic director Chris Hill has been through the drill before. He has selected head coaches for his athletic programs dozens of times over the years.

However, he's had to select a new men's basketball coach only twice — in 1989, when he hired Rick Majerus to replace Lynn Archibald, and in 2004, when Ray Giacoletti replaced Majerus. He faces the challenge again in the wake of Giacoletti's resignation Friday.

As usual, Hill is not showing his hand as to whom he might go after or when the decision will be made.

"I don't want to put an artificial deadline on it," he said. "You don't want to hurry it and you don't want to drag it out too long, but you want to get the best person that wants to be here and sees this as an exciting possibility."

Hill insisted that he "has not talked to any coaches," saying it wouldn't be ethical to contact coaches while their season is still going on. He did say he keeps up on which coaches are doing well so he knows who to look at as possible candidates.

A lot of Ute fans have talked about the possibility of former Stanford University and Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery as a candidate, but Hill wouldn't discuss him as a candidate when his name was brought up.

"People throw all kinds of names at me, and I can't respond to that," he said.

However, he did get a laugh out of reports that Montgomery had sat with him at a game or been seen on campus recently.

Ironically, according to a 1989 newspaper report, Hill contacted Montgomery when he was at Stanford, before hiring Majerus.

Hill also wouldn't speculate on whether he would look for an experienced head coach or perhaps an up-and-coming assistant.

"Everybody that's good in college is still playing, so I really I think you have to look at the whole pool and decide who's the best match for the University of Utah," Hill said.

The one thing Hill did say is that he won't name a new coach before he leaves Tuesday for Indianapolis, where he'll serve on the NCAA men's basketball selection committee for five days.

The decision would likely come by the first week of April, when the last two basketball hires at Utah were announced.

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Here's a list of possible candidates for the job:

CANDIDATES WITH LOCAL CONNECTIONS