Tuesday, May 29, 2001

[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]

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Murphy in no
hurry to decide on
coaching future

Serious speculation continues
on whether the Sun Devils coach
will be guiding UH next
season or not

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By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

The guessing game has started in Tempe, Ariz.

University of Hawaii athletic department officials would love to know the answer.

The question: Is Arizona State baseball coach Pat Murphy headed to UH as the replacement for the retiring Les Murakami, or is he remaining at ASU?

Although UH officials have continued to decline comment on the Rainbow coaching situation, speculation throughout the college baseball world has Murphy as the leading candidate with a standing offer from UH.

Murphy has said he would not talk about the UH job until after this season was done. His Sun Devils were eliminated from NCAA regional play Saturday in Los Angeles by Texas Tech.

According to a story by Don Ketchum in yesterday's Arizona Republic, Murphy is deciding whether to:

>> Accept a standing offer from UH;

>> See if any other offers surface from other colleges;

>> Extend his time in Tempe for an eighth season.

Murphy said he will spend some time with his wife and newborn son, help his ASU players prepare for the draft and place others in summer leagues. There is no indication he is in any hurry to make a decision about next season.

"I really don't want to talk about that right now,'' Murphy told the Arizona Republic. "I probably won't think about it for a few days."

Murphy is expected to meet with ASU athletic director Gene Smith sometime this week, but no meeting has been officially scheduled.

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UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii