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SMU athletic director Jim Copeland has spoken to Kansas associate head coach Norm Roberts about the Mustangs' vacant men's basketball coaching position.

Copeland, who was watching Kansas play Texas in Saturday's Big 12 semifinals at American Airlines Center, refused to comment.

"I have a strong interest," Roberts said after the game. "I have been in contact with them, and I'm hopeful."

Roberts has spent one season at Kansas, and was an assistant coach at Oral Roberts (1996-97), Tulsa (1998-2000) and Illinois (2001-2003). Roberts has recruited several area players, including Deron Williams (The Colony) and Kyle Wilson (Jesuit) both of whom went to Illinois.

Copeland said Oklahoma State assistant coach James Dickey has been recommended for the position, which became available when Mike Dement was fired Feb. 27. Copeland said he has received about 20 to 25 recommendations but said he can't get to everyone.

Dickey said he would not discuss job opportunities until after the season.

University sources said Copeland has held phone conversations with Stanford assistant coach Eric Reveno and Indiana associate head coach John Treloar about their interest in the position.

SMU has tentative plans to present a candidate to the search committee next week.

BIOGRAPHY:

Norm Roberts' title at KU is associate head coach Ѡthe same title he held his final season at the U of I. Roberts also worked on Self's staff three years in Tulsa and for two seasons at Oral Roberts, helping the schools to five postseason appearances, including two NCAA Elite Eight and one NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance.

One of the top recruiters in the country, Roberts helped Illinois land a top-10 recruiting class in 2002 that included McDonald's All-American Dee Brown, James Augustine, Aaron Spears, Deron Williams and Kyle Wilson.
At Kansas, Roberts' primary duties include recruiting and scouting, as well as perimeter player development.

Roberts went to Oral Roberts following four years as head coach at his alma mater, Queens College, and four years as the freshman coach at Archbishop Molloy High in New York, where he coached current NBA point guard Kenny Anderson.

A 1987 graduate of Queens College, Roberts is the school's second all-time leading scorer with 1,719 points. He also is the career leader in steals and assists, and had his number (15) retired by his alma mater in 1993.
Born July 21, 1965, in Queens, N.Y., he and his wife, Pascale, have two sons, Nicholas and Justin. Roberts is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Black Coaches Association.

"He is as good as it gets," Self said of Roberts.

Roberts says: "This is exciting. It's a great opportunity. Kansas is an unbelievable place. It's one of the top programs in the nation. ... I've had opportunities to interview and be involved with different jobs, but I've really enjoyed working with Bill Self. He gives me a lot of freedom to work. He's a faithful guy. You stay with guys that are successful

COACHING HISTORY

1996-97 — Oral Roberts University

• ORU went the NIT in 1996-97
• Following a loss to Tulsa on Jan. 11, 1997, ORU won 12 of its final 13 regular season games in the 1996-97 season.

1998-2000 — University of Tulsa

• Tulsa had a 19-12 record and a third place 9-5 record in the Western Athletic Conference's Pacific Division
• Tulsa had a 32-5 record and Elite Eight appearance in 2000, setting a school record for victories in a season.

2000-02 — University of Illinois

• The Illini had Big Ten Championships in 2001 and 2002, Illinois' first back-to-back title seasons since 1951-52
• Second-most victories in school history with 27-8 record in 2001 and third-most wins with 26 in 2002
• Earned a No. 1 seed in the 2001 NCAA Tournament and an Elite Eight appearance
• Illinois had a Sweet Sixteen appearance at the 2002 NCAA Tournament

ASSISTANT COACHING RECORD

Oral Roberts University
Head Coach: Bill Self
1996-97 21-7 (.750)
4 Years 55-54 (.505)

University of Tulsa
Head Coach: Bill Self
1997-98 19-12 (.612)
1998-99 23-10 (.697)
1999-2000 32-5 (.865)
3 Years 74-27 (.733)

University of Illinois
Head Coach: Bill Self
2000-01 27-8 (.771)
2001-02 26-9 (.743)
2 Years 53-17 (.757)

Not too bad - where are all the naysayers saying this job had no interest??
Like Old Pony...

there will be plenty of assistant coaches "hopeful" of landing this (or any other D-I) Head Coaching job. I believe the comment others have made is that no PROVEN Head Coach is going to be interested in this job. Those discussions centered around the Doherty, Jarvis, Lavin & Franschilla comments.

The truth is that Dement, coming off a head coaching job at UNC-Greensboro, was probably as high as our budget allows us to reach. Now it looks like we will try a promising assistant.

Gotcha, there were a few folks who said we couldn't receive attention from hardly anyone. At least SMU is looking at decent resumes. I wouldn't want Matt Doughtery, Fran, or Jarvis - Levine would be fine. Fran was on the UTEP/Nevada game and sounds like he knows almost everyone in the bizness - was talking a lot about Juco coaches in Texas. Gillespie might go to A&M?

Please stay away from Dickey!!

I agree - Dickey isn't on my wish list (for whatever that's worth).

Best statement in Roberts' bio:
"One of the top recruiters in the country, Roberts helped Illinois land a top-10 recruiting class in 2002 that included McDonald's All-American Dee Brown, James Augustine, Aaron Spears, Deron Williams and Kyle Wilson."

Here's Reveno's bio from the Stanford website:




Eric Reveno

Position:
Assistant Coach
Birthdate:
03/11/1966

Eric Reveno, who played a major role in the success of Stanford basketball in the late 1980's, is in his seventh season as an assistant coach on The Farm.

"Eric has been a tireless worker on our staff at Stanford," said Cardinal head coach Mike Montgomery. "He has helped maintain our status as one of the top basketball programs in the country."

Reveno has also coached the last five years at the prestigious Pete Newell Big Man Camp in Hawaii.

Reveno played in 116 games during his four year career at Stanford (1984-89), including 30 games as a starter during his senior season in 1988-89. During that season, Reveno averaged 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Reveno was the team's starting center and helped lead the Cardinal to a 26-7 record, a 15-3 mark in the Pac-10, and a #12 national ranking. The Cardinal advanced to the NCAA tournament, Stanford's first appearance in the tourney since the 1941-42 season.

Reveno is eighth all-time in blocked shots with 61. During his senior season, he was second on the team in steals with 40, and amongst the team leaders in shooting at 52 percent. After graduating from Stanford, Reveno played professional basketball in Japan from 1989-93.

Born March 12, 1966, Reveno graduated from Stanford in 1989 with a degree in Economics and obtained his Masters degree in Business Administration from Stanford in 1995.

For two years, he was president of Riekes Center in Menlo Park, a non-profit mentoring organization that trains junior high school to professional level athletes.

Reveno and his wife, Amanda, reside in Menlo Park. They have a child, Katherine Elise, who was born May 15, 2002.

And here's Treloar's bio from the IU website:





John Treloar
Associate Head Coach

John Treloar has been an invaluable part of the Indiana basketball program. Consider:

• Indiana won a share of its 20th Big Ten Conference Championship, advanced to its eighth NCAA Final Four and played for its sixth national championship in 2001-02


• Six straight 20-plus win seasons


• Six straight NCAA Tournament appearances (The Hoosiers currently own the nation’s second-longest active streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with 18)


• The Hoosiers have defeated 28 ranked opponents during this span, including 12 teams among the nation’s top 10 at the time of the game.


• Indiana posted the Big Ten’s best three-point field goal defense in 2002-03 (.294). This is also a school record.


• IU finished second in the league in field goal percentage defense (.408) and scoring defense (62.6 ppg) in 2001-02. The Hoosiers also set a Big Ten record for field goal percentage defense in 2000-01 (.382).


A veteran head coach and general manager in the CBA, where his teams advanced to the playoffs seven out of eight years, Treloar arrived in Bloomington in 1997. He had spent the previous six seasons as a head coach with the Chicago Rockers, Wichita Falls Texans and Connecticut Pride. During his CBA career, Treloar competed against current NBA head coaches George Karl (Milwaukee), Terry Stotts (Atlanta) and Eric Musselman (Golden State).

While in the CBA, Treloar earned a reputation for making championship runs late in the season, as evidenced by his playoff winning percentage of over 50 percent. His 22 playoff wins rank among the top 10 in CBA history.

His late-season run ability was not more evident than during the 1990-91 season as the head coach of the Wichita Falls Texans. His assistant coach on that staff was current Hoosier head coach Mike Davis. After struggling to a 16-22 record, Treloar’s club won 16 of its final 18 contests to finish with a 32-24 overall record. In the conference playoffs, the Texans upset both division champions - Tulsa (3 games to 1) and Albany (4-2). The Texans then edged Quad Cities 4-3, in a dramatic finals.

Treloar became just the second coach in league history to win a CBA Championship in his first season as head coach. The turnaround helped him finish second to Albany’s George Karl (currently head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks) in the 1991 CBA Coach-of-the-Year balloting.

After winning the 1991 CBA title, Treloar worked in a dual role as Wichita Falls’ head coach and general manager during the 1991-92 campaign. That team posted a 28-28 overall record and finished second in the Southern Division before losing in the second round of the playoffs to Rapid City, S.D.

In 1992-93, he guided the Texans to a franchise-best 34-22 record and its first-ever Western Division title. The club finished the year with a 21-7 homecourt record.

During the 1993-94 season, Treloar guided the Texans to a second-place finish in the Western Division and his club featured two of the league’s top performers in guard Stephen Bardo and first-team all-CBA selection Henry James. Prior to his successful career in the Continental Basketball Association, where he had also served as a general manager for the Wichita Falls Texans (1988-89) and Mississippi Jets (1987-88), Treloar was the head coach of the Olympic Sports Club in Bremerhaven, Germany, from 1982-86. The following year, he served as the head coach of the Steiner Optik Club in Bayreuth, Germany.

Treloar’s international experience also includes a stint with a professional team in Venezuela in 1997. He joined the team at midseason and went on to guide the club to the league championship finals.

Treloar’s coaching career began at the University of Alabama where he served as academic counselor and graduate assistant for two seasons (1980-82).

A native of Clinton, Miss., Treloar earned a master’s degree in behavioral studies from the University of Alabama and was awarded a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Belhaven College in 1978.

And here's Treloar's bio from the IU website:





John Treloar
Associate Head Coach

John Treloar has been an invaluable part of the Indiana basketball program. Consider:

• Indiana won a share of its 20th Big Ten Conference Championship, advanced to its eighth NCAA Final Four and played for its sixth national championship in 2001-02


• Six straight 20-plus win seasons


• Six straight NCAA Tournament appearances (The Hoosiers currently own the nation’s second-longest active streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with 18)


• The Hoosiers have defeated 28 ranked opponents during this span, including 12 teams among the nation’s top 10 at the time of the game.


• Indiana posted the Big Ten’s best three-point field goal defense in 2002-03 (.294). This is also a school record.


• IU finished second in the league in field goal percentage defense (.408) and scoring defense (62.6 ppg) in 2001-02. The Hoosiers also set a Big Ten record for field goal percentage defense in 2000-01 (.382).


A veteran head coach and general manager in the CBA, where his teams advanced to the playoffs seven out of eight years, Treloar arrived in Bloomington in 1997. He had spent the previous six seasons as a head coach with the Chicago Rockers, Wichita Falls Texans and Connecticut Pride. During his CBA career, Treloar competed against current NBA head coaches George Karl (Milwaukee), Terry Stotts (Atlanta) and Eric Musselman (Golden State).

While in the CBA, Treloar earned a reputation for making championship runs late in the season, as evidenced by his playoff winning percentage of over 50 percent. His 22 playoff wins rank among the top 10 in CBA history.

His late-season run ability was not more evident than during the 1990-91 season as the head coach of the Wichita Falls Texans. His assistant coach on that staff was current Hoosier head coach Mike Davis. After struggling to a 16-22 record, Treloar’s club won 16 of its final 18 contests to finish with a 32-24 overall record. In the conference playoffs, the Texans upset both division champions - Tulsa (3 games to 1) and Albany (4-2). The Texans then edged Quad Cities 4-3, in a dramatic finals.

Treloar became just the second coach in league history to win a CBA Championship in his first season as head coach. The turnaround helped him finish second to Albany’s George Karl (currently head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks) in the 1991 CBA Coach-of-the-Year balloting.

After winning the 1991 CBA title, Treloar worked in a dual role as Wichita Falls’ head coach and general manager during the 1991-92 campaign. That team posted a 28-28 overall record and finished second in the Southern Division before losing in the second round of the playoffs to Rapid City, S.D.

In 1992-93, he guided the Texans to a franchise-best 34-22 record and its first-ever Western Division title. The club finished the year with a 21-7 homecourt record.

During the 1993-94 season, Treloar guided the Texans to a second-place finish in the Western Division and his club featured two of the league’s top performers in guard Stephen Bardo and first-team all-CBA selection Henry James. Prior to his successful career in the Continental Basketball Association, where he had also served as a general manager for the Wichita Falls Texans (1988-89) and Mississippi Jets (1987-88), Treloar was the head coach of the Olympic Sports Club in Bremerhaven, Germany, from 1982-86. The following year, he served as the head coach of the Steiner Optik Club in Bayreuth, Germany.

Treloar’s international experience also includes a stint with a professional team in Venezuela in 1997. He joined the team at midseason and went on to guide the club to the league championship finals.

Treloar’s coaching career began at the University of Alabama where he served as academic counselor and graduate assistant for two seasons (1980-82).

A native of Clinton, Miss., Treloar earned a master’s degree in behavioral studies from the University of Alabama and was awarded a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Belhaven College in 1978.

If I was on the search committee the first question I would be asking is what is your plan to recruit in the metroplex!

Good place to start. I'd also try to determine how confident a candidate is about his ability to develop relationships with local HS coaches, or does he already have contacts/relationships in place in the DFW area -- much more appealing, I'd say.

So does Roberts get credit for recruiting all those All-America players to Illinois, like Tubbs has gotten credit for recruiting Sasser, Ross, Hopkins, etc., to SMU? Or when it says "helped them ...." does that mean he was just another guy on the staff? Tubbs, if you believe the rumor mill, almost single-handedly recruited many (if not all) of the best players SMU has had in recent years, from what I understand. Sounds to me like that's the kind of recruiter we need. I'm not saying Roberts or the Stanford guy or the Indiana guy can't recruit like that. But that's the kind of guy I want running the SMU program.

I like Roberts, he's a strong #2 to Tubbs. Roberts at least has some connections in the area unlike the Michigan State guy. Roberts recruited Charlie Villaneuva to Illinois last year. He was on his way until Bill Self left for Kansas. Roberts would be a good choice if we didnt have a Tubbs.

My gut tells me that Copeland will look closely at Reveno, Roberts, Tubbs and Wojcik. It appears that Roberts and Wojcik are the #1 assistants at their schools so I wouldn't be surprised to see them as the frontrunners. A lot of Tubbs' candidacy will lie on his experience with Copeland. If he and Copeland got along well and keep in touch then he would be the frontrunner.

I think it is safe to say that all the candidates mentioned are solid recruiters.