ASU’s Ray Anderson: Will be deliberate, patient to find the right coach
Apr 8, 2015, 9:12 PM | Updated: 9:12 pm
The perception of the search for Arizona State University’s new men’s basketball coach changed dramatically Tuesday when word came out that Jeff Capel, the presumed favorite, had withdrawn himself from consideration.
Pretty much from the moment ASU parted with Herb Sendek, Capel — a Duke assistant coach who has been a head coach at VCU and Oklahoma — was the favorite to land the job.
But with him no longer an option, many are wondering what direction vice president for athletics Ray Anderson will go.
A guest of Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Wednesday, Anderson was hesitant to go into too much detail.
“With the process ongoing I’m not going to really comment on who may or may not have been part of the process,” he said. “There’s a bunch of speculation out there, and if I were to try to respond and provide you info on all the speculation, heck, we’d be on this phone call until midnight.”
While there are probably many people — Sun Devil fans and media included — who wouldn’t mind the wait if it meant learning more about the search, Anderson’s position is not all that surprising. And while Anderson may have whiffed on his first choice, as is widely assumed, that does not mean the entire process has gone off the rails.
“Let me simply say it’s been a really robust process,” Anderson said. “We have made sure we’ve done our due diligence and are talking, appropriately, with a variety of candidates who are very interested and covet this position. And the process continues.
“But we’re determined to be deliberate, and we’re going to be patient until we get the exact right fit for our program’s future, so that’s where we are.”
That means until otherwise, the process, which Anderson said is by design, will continue until it has come to an end with a new coach on board.
And Anderson said he expects that to happen sooner rather than later. Like, by the time he makes his next appearance on the show in a week?
“By the time we talk next Wednesday, I dang sure better have him in place,” Anderson said, with a chuckle.
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