DePaul: We'll pay top dollar for head basketball coach

In its last two seasons, DePaul posted a 2-37 record against Big East competition.

That's the worst stretch in the fabled conference's 30-year history ­ - and led to thousands of empty seats at Allstate Arena.

To help the Blue Demons climb out of the Big East's basement, athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto declared Tuesday the school intends to zoom up the standings immediately in at least one regard:

The head coach's salary.

As she kicks her coaching search into high gear this week, Ponsetto wields approval from the Board of Trustees and President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider to offer a package similar to the likes of Louisville's Rick Pitino ($2.25 million per year) and West Virginia's Bob Huggins ($20 million over 10 years).

"The trustees made a commitment that DePaul should go out and get the best coach that it possibly can," Ponsetto said. "It may be that it turns out someone will be very high on the list of paid Big East coaches."

Ponsetto wants a top-notch recruiter as well as someone with the "technical acumen" to match wits with the league's high-profile coaches such as Pitino, Huggins, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim.

"Several of the people that we're looking at are currently head coaches in very successful programs," Ponsetto said. "While everybody understands and appreciates and recognizes our tradition, somebody would have to leave something really good if we get any of our top several choices."

Ponsetto indicated most, if not all, of those top choices have their teams in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Of those 65 coaches, here's a handful that either fulfill Ponsetto's criteria and/or find their names floating on the coaching rumor mill:

Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, UTEP's Tony Barbee, Minnesota's Tubby Smith, UNLV's Lon Kruger and Baylor's Scott Drew.

"We have a pretty robust list, but a realistic list," Ponsetto said. "One that's manageable. For us, it's going to be a matter of watching as teams begin to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament that we'll be able to have discussions and conversations."

Ponsetto did not confirm any names on her list except one: Interim head coach Tracy Webster. He'll get the first official interview after posting a 1-15 mark upon taking over for the fired Jerry Wainwright on Jan. 11.

"When we made the announcement back in January, it was absolutely about the lack of competitiveness of our team," Ponsetto said. "I've got to give Tracy and (assistants) David (Booth) and Billy (Garrett) and Tommy Kleinschmidt-they did a great job of our kids being more competitive and maximizing the potential that they had."

That being said, Ponsetto softened her stance from January when she made it sound like the next coach needed to keep the current assistants.

"I think you always have to give a head coach that flexibility (to bring in his own staff)," Ponsetto said. "But when you have the caliber of assistants that we have-I think that certainly has gotten a lot of people's attention.

"You're talking about guys who are all incredibly, incredibly marketable and aren't going to have a hard time finding a job someplace else."