THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607260635
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 32 lines
Old Dominion baseball coach Tony Guzzo is one of three finalists for the North Carolina State head coaching job, according to an N.C. State official.
Wolfpack sports information director Bruce Winkworth said Winthrop coach Joe Hudek and New Mexico State coach Elliott Avent are the other two finalists.
Guzzo, who completed his second season with the Monarchs this spring, offered no comment. ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett is out of the country and was unavailable.
The Wolfpack job was vacated when Ray Tanner accepted the head coaching job at South Carolina last month. Tanner coached the Wolfpack to seven NCAA tournaments and a 395-173 record in his nine seasons as head coach.
In his two seasons at ODU, Guzzo has led the Monarchs to consecutive NCAA tournament berths and a 78-37 record. Guzzo (509-403-2 for his career) replaced Pat McMahon, who left ODU to become an associate coach at Mississippi State in 1994.
Originally, there were eight candidates for the N.C. State position. Tulane coach Rick Jones, who is from Chatham County, N.C., signed a new seven-year pact with the Green Wave on Monday and took himself out of the running. Joe Carbone from Ohio University, withdrew Wednesday evening.
The other three candidates who did not make the final cut were Ray ``Smoke'' Laval from Northeast Louisiana, Florida State assistant coach Chip Baker and Francis Combs, a former player and father of rising senior outfielder Chris Combs. by CNB