Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 21, 1990 TAG: 9004210297
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Men's coach Oliver Purnell says he has talked with officials at Norfolk State, Howard and North Carolina-Wilmington, but he says he has no interest in those jobs.
Women's coach Charlene Curtis, meanwhile, is believed to be a leading candidate for the head coaching job at Illinois.
Purnell, who is coming off a 7-22 season at Radford and is 22-35 in two years there, is being linked with one of the most prestigious jobs in NCAA Division II: Norfolk State. The Spartans, under former coach Charles Christian, have had only two seasons with fewer than 20 victories since 1974.
Christian is retiring to go into athletic administration at Norfolk State. His career record there is 319-95. The Spartans were 27-4 last season before being upset in the opening round of the Division II tournament.
North Carolina-Wilmington hired Tulsa assistant Kevin Eastman this week. The Howard job remains vacant.
Norfolk State has between 40 and 50 applications for the job, and the filing deadline is April 30, Norfolk State sports information director John Holley said.
"I am not going to deny that I have talked to people at Norfolk State, North Carolina-Wilmington and Howard, but I have had no formal interviews and I have not applied for any of those jobs," Purnell said. "I'm flattered that they wanted to talk to me, but I plan on being at Radford University next season."
Purnell will be in the third year of a three-year contract that pays him $52,000 next season. Purnell and Radford athletic director Chuck Taylor met after the season, and it was announced that Radford would not extend Purnell's contract at that time.
It has been a custom at Radford to extend three-year contracts for the head basketball coach after the second year.
Purnell said after the postseason meeting that he understood his job depended on performance. He said he did not interpret the lack of a contract extension as an indication of a lack of faith from the Radford administration.
Purnell has been busy recruiting. He suggested that some of the stories surfacing about his talks with other schools are being passed around by rival recruiters to sabotage his efforts with potential players.
Radford has seven scholarships to offer and is expected to sign at least three players. They are Dragan Skoko, a 6-foot-9 player from Yugoslavia; 6-2 guard Marcus Owens of York, Pa., by way of Fishburne Military School; and Don Burgess, a 6-7 swingman from Harrisonburg High. None of the three had signed by Friday.
Radford also is known to be in the hunt for 6-11 Englishman Jason Crump, who played for Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy.
Curtis is scheduled to return to Radford today from Champaign, Ill., where she was being interviewed.
"She's probably the leading candidate for the Illinois job," a source in the Radford athletic department said. "Somebody [another college] calls seeking permission to talk to her every year."
Curtis, who played at William Fleming High and Radford, is 121-53 in six seasons at Radford and has won three of the past four Big South Conference championships. Radford, 20-9 last season, has had 20 or more victories in four of the past five years.
Curtis was interviewed Thursday at Illinois, said a source at Illinois. If hired, she will replace Laura Golden, who is retiring as the winningest coach in Illini history. Golden has an 83-89 record at Illinois and was 11-17 last season.
by CNB