Posted 12:20 p.m., Monday, June 04, 2001
If Murphy rejects UH, coaching job goes to Trapasso
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai'i has given Arizona State's Pat Murphy a deadline of today to accept the Rainbows' vacant baseball position coaching or it will be offered to Mike Trapasso, according to people familiar with the process.
People at Georgia Tech, where Trapasso is the top assistant, say they expect him to accept the job, if offered.
The whole process should be wrapped up before the end of the week, UH officials have told members of the seven-man screening committee.
UH apparently imposed its deadline on Murphy following athletic director Hugh Yoshida's return from the Mainland last night, seeking resolution to negotiations with the ASU coach that have gone on since February, when he was formally offered the job.
Yoshida and Murphy talked over the weekend and Murphy said he presented UH with a wish list of items he said he needed in order to take the job and turnaround the fortunes of the Rainbows who haven't been selected to an NCAA regional since 1993.
Speculation in Phoenix has been that Murphy will remain at ASU, where he has coached the past seven seasons. The Sun Devils Wednesday significantly sweetened his $130,810 base salary reportedly raising his total package well above $275,000.
UH is believed to have offered a base salary of $135,000-$150,000. Depending upon his ability to secure his own auxiliary contracts and camps, he could make upwards of $200,000 at UH.
Among the items Murphy said he asked UH to consider were moving from the Western Athletic Conference to independent status in the future and allowing him to teach a non-sports class on campus. Murphy, who built up the independent Notre Dame before going to ASU, said he believes UH could regularly qualify for the NCAA Tournament by playing a tough schedule as an independent.
However, Karl Benson, WAC commissioner, is on record against allowing conference members to play outside the WAC in sports the conference offers.
Trapasso was ranked the top head coaching prospect Baseball America.
