Alvin Brooks is unemployed, and yet he has more work to do.
Brooks was fired Sunday from his job as the coach of the Houston Cougars, even though they still had at least one more game to play in the Conference USA tournament. So he will coach against Southern Mississippi today aware a defeat will not only end his season, but possibly his career.
Brooks said he will look into other coaching opportunities, but may enter the business world.
''I'm not as concerned about me as I am about my young guys. My guess is that they will be prepared and ready to play. My hope is they won't be too emotional, so they won't run short on energy in the final minutes.''
Brooks has a record of 54-83 in five seasons. It appeared he turned the corner with a 17-10 record in the final year of the Southwest Conference, 1995-96, but the move into Conference USA the following season and some unexpected player losses undermined that progress. ''I feel very blessed to have made it this far.''
Most of those who have expressed interest in the job or been mentioned as candidates are pro coaches with Houston ties, including John Lucas and Don Chaney. Oklahoma State assistant Paul Graham, who recruited two McDonald's All-Americans out of Texas in the past four years, is pursuing the job.
There has been some discussion the Cougars might be interested in Tulane coach Perry Clark; new Houston AD Chet Gladchuk hired Clark to run the Green Wave program.
No doubt
Larry Hughes, already the only freshman selected to Conference USA's 15-member all-star team, was named the league's freshman of the year.
He was joined on the all-freshman team by teammate Matt Baniak, guard Brian Wardle of Marquette, forward Chonsey Asbury of South Florida and guard Byron Mouton of Tulane.
Wardle also was named sixth man of the year. He averaged 10.5 points for the Golden Eagles. UC's Melvin Levett, who came off the bench in the final six games and averaged 15.7 points in that role, was not eligible for the award because he started 21 games.
Cards decked
If it's not bad enough that Louisville's 19 defeats set a school record, the Cardinals are the only team in the Conference USA that did not win a single postseason award. Player and coach of the year will be announced today, but that's not likely to change things.
U of L's best shot probably was guard Marques Maybin, who ranked fourth in scoring among the league's freshmen. Forward Nate Johnson might have been a third-team all-conference choice with his 12.1 scoring average, but Alabama Birmingham's Cedric Dixon scored more and won more.
Silenced Lamb
With senior point guard Brian Lamb's status uncertain for South Florida's opening-round game against Louisville, the Bulls may start three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior against the Cardinals. But USF's young players have made significant progress since starting 0-5 in C-USA. They've gone 7-4 in league games since, 8-4 overall - and the other win was against Florida State, the league's only win over an ACC team.
''We get good people with character and teach them how to defend,'' said USF coach Seth Greenberg.
Still afloat?
Since Jan. 20, Tulane has played 12 games. Eleven ended in precisely the same manner, with the Green Wave on the wrong end of the final score. One of those was lost in double-overtime. There was one victory. Tulane has managed to stay competitive in the majority of its defeats, though, rallying to lose by 10 to UC, playing UAB and Memphis to single-digit defeats, and falling by two against South Florida in the season finale Saturday.
''I believe that's the coaching staff's job,'' Tulane's Clark said, ''to make sure teams don't pack it in, give up, get down on themselves.''
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