WICHITA, Kan. -- Former North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano was poised to accept the vacant head coaching position at Wichita State University, his attorney said Wednesday.
Attorney, Woody Webb of Charlotte, N.C., said his client is excited about the offer from Wichita State. He said no formal agreement has been reached but said it is very close.
'We're on the short road now,' Webb said.
Valvano's agent, Arthur Kaminsky, wouldn't comment on the status of the negotiations Wednesday night.
'I'll leave that to whatever announcement the university wants to make,' he said.
Other sources, however, said Valvano's decision will be made public Thursday.
Sources said Wednesday afternoon that Valvano has been talking with university administrators and boosters for at least two weeks, and the two sides have met personally on two occasions to discuss the job.
The offer on the table is reported to be a five-year contract, worth $625,000.
Webb called the proposal 'very attractive.'
'In my view it's unparalleled in terms of an offer to come coach a college basketball team,' he said.
The Raleigh News and Observer said the proposed contract includes a base salary of $125,000 with additional $25,000 bonuses for winning 20 games a season and for earning a berth in the NCAA postseason tournament. Other bonuses may be tied to the academic performance of the team.
Additional money likely would be available in radio and television shows and other perks.
Those figures are considerably lower than what Valvano currently makes as a commentator for ESPN and ABC. While the ABC figure is not known, it is believed he makes about $300,000 a year with ESPN.
The money is also much lower than the reported $540,000 a year Valvano almost got last December to coach the NBA's New Jersey Nets.
A university official, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the discussions between Valvano and Wichita State, and said the university expects Valvano's answer by the end of the week.
Wichita State's head coaching position is open following the resignation of Mike Cohen last month. Cohen came under fire for his team's poor performance.
The Shockers ended the season at 8-20, after being picked by both coaches and the media to finish near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Wichita State's season ended last Saturday with a 67-63 loss to Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Wichita State, which had its worst attendance in 29 seasons this year, finished the regular season at 8-19, including 6-12 and a seventh- place tie in the conference.
Wichita State University officials were not available for comment on the prospect of hiring Valvano.
The school's athletic director, Tom Shupe, who has also resigned his position and is not involved in the search, told the News and Observer that university boosters have been heavily involved in the recruiting process.
'Jim is being courted by a search committee,' Shupe said.
Valvano has not coached since the 1989-90 season, when he resigned under pressure at North Carolina State. An NCAA investigation into numerous allegations surrounding the Wolfpack program, including point shaving, led to the school being placed on two years' probation that same year.
Valvano, whose team won the 1983 NCAA crown, also was criticized for a poor graduation rate among his players. He was never implicated in any of the NCAA charges but would likely be under heavy scrutiny with the Shockers. Only Southern Methodist has received more NCAA sanctions than Wichita State.
Other candidates said to be under consideration by Wichita State are John Calapari of Massachusetts, Scott Thompson of Rice and Neil McCarthy of New Mexico State.
