By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For about a week in March, Kent State and coach Stan Heath were at the top of the college basketball world, having advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

A week later, Heath was in Hog Heaven after taking the Arkansas coaching job, and Kent State was without a coach for the second time in as many years.

That's the peril facing mid-major teams that perform well in the postseason. The coach becomes a hot commodity and might not be around for long without a hefty raise.

Xavier coach Thad Matta received a contract extension through the 2010 season after leading Xavier to a 26-6 record last season, despite a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament. Because it is a private school, Xavier is not required to release the details of Matta's contract.

When Heath left Kent State, he jumped from a $190,000 annual salary, including bonuses, to a job that pays $800,000 a year. His successor at Kent State, Jim Christian, makes $120,000 a year.

"If we have another run in the NCAA Tournament, we know our coach will be in high demand by bigger schools," Kent State athletic director Laing Kennedy said.

He said there isn't much the school can do but find the best candidate available to fill the vacancy.

Judy MacLeod deals with the same problem at Tulsa. For the first time since 1999-2000, the Golden Hurricane have a returning coach, John Phillips. Bill Self left for Illinois after an Elite Eight run in 2000, and Buzz Peterson took the Tennessee job the next year after winning an NIT Championship with Tulsa.

"We hear a lot of how Tulsa is a steppingstone for coaches," MacLeod said. "It's really just more of a headache for me, and it's toughest on the young men in the program. I felt horrible for the kids who had to have three coaches in three years."

That's not likely to happen at Xavier, considering the length of Matta's contract and his stated devotion to the program.

"I've never even thought about it," Matta said of leaving XU. "I just love coming to work here.

But Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski conceded that a deep NCAA Tournament run would mean spending more money to keep Matta.

"The coaching salary would cost a few more dollars," Bobinski said. "But that's money you want to have to pay. Our coaches have never been restricted. No coach has ever said, `I need more money to recruit.' They get all the resources they need."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

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