Mehrtens: “Ed Conroy is our guy”; but Conroy still shopping

UPDATE FROM THE CHARLESTON POST AND COURIER:

Less than a week after receiving a job offer from UNC Wilmington, Citadel basketball coach Ed Conroy reportedly was in New Orleans on Monday interviewing for another job.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Monday that Conroy was among three coaches interviewed on campus at Tulane.

The newspaper said Robert Morris coach Mike Rice and ex-Oregon coach Ernie Kent also were interviewed as the Conference USA school seeks a replacement for ex-coach Dave Dickerson, who resigned after an 8-22 season.

Citadel athletic director Larry Leckonby said Monday he has not been contacted by Tulane, and that Conroy has not informed him of any decision regarding UNC Wilmington.

The Post and Courier first reported last Wednesday that Conroy, who just completed his fourth season at his alma mater, had been offered UNC Wilmington’s head-coaching job.

Later in the week, UNCW athletic director Kelly Mehrtens confirmed the offer, telling a Wilmington TV station, “Ed Conroy is our guy.”

Like UNCW, Tulane would be a rebuilding job, but a higher paying one. Dickerson had a 68-84 record in five seasons at Tulane, including a 31-47 mark in Conference USA.

Dickerson earned between $320,000 and $400,000 per year, according to the Times-Picayune. The UNCW job will pay between $225,000 and $250,000 per year, according to the Wilmington Star News. Conroy earns about $175,000 after receiving a raise last year at The Citadel.

An offer from Tulane for Conroy could open up a door at UNCW for College of Charleston assistant Mark Byington, who played for the Seahawks. Byington met with UNCW’s Mehrtens on Saturday at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Neither Conroy nor Byington could be reached for comment.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/apr/06/conroy-takes-look-at-tulane/

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UNCW Athletic Director Kelly Mehrtens landed safely at the airport in Indianapolis Friday afternoon. WWAY’s John Rendleman talked with her shortly after she arrived.

Mehrtens told WWAY that she offered the UNCW men’s head coaching position to Citadel coach Ed Conroy Thursday and that she doesn’t intend to conduct any more interviews unless Conroy turns down the job.

“The job is his,” Mehrtens said. “Ed Conroy is our guy.”

Conroy has been head coach at The Citadel for the last four years.

Mehrtens told WWAY that she has a lot of meetings to attend at the Final Four, including CAA meetings.

When asked about Vince Taylor, the former Duke guard who many people consider to be a candidate for the UNCW position, Mehrtens said, “I’ve never talked with Vince Taylor.”