Former Utah coach and current ESPN analyst Rick Majerus and USC officials were finalizing a deal Tuesday night that will have Majerus introduced as the new Trojan coach in a news conference today, sources said.
Majerus, 56, who was in the Los Angeles area Tuesday night, did not return phone messages, while Daryl Gross, USC's senior associate athletic director, who has been handling the search, would not comment.
A source close to Majerus said the contract would be for five years at $1 million a season, and although Majerus is expected to leave his job with ESPN immediately -- it is not thought USC will be involved in any type of buyout with the cable network -- he will not take over the program until after this season.
Majerus, who was the head coach at Utah for 15 years, Ball State for two and Marquette three, has a career winning percentage of .742 (422-147) and has taken his teams to postseason play 15 times, going 18-11 in the NCAA tournament with four Sweet 16 appearances, 8-4 in the postseason NIT.
He left Utah abruptly in January after suffering severe chest pains. He had already undergone heart bypass surgery, missing most of the 1989-90 season at Utah, and has battled weight problems his entire career.
Majerus had also been linked to many previous openings, including Nevada Las Vegas, Arizona State and UCLA.
Interim USC Coach Jim Saia, who was installed by Athletic Director Mike Garrett after firing Henry Bibby on Dec. 6, will continue to run the team along with Bibby's old staff. It is not known how closely Majerus will monitor the program under Saia or whether he can actively recruit.
The Trojans play host to Western Michigan in a nonconference game Saturday before departing for Hawaii on Sunday for the Rainbow Classic.
"What I told the team was that we can just control what we can -- the rest of the season," Saia said. "We still need to just focus on Western Michigan. If [the Majerus hiring is] the case, then that's not until next ... April. It doesn't affect the [Pacific 10 Conference] season.
"I think everyone's excited about the season. We're a senior-oriented team, so we're not going to worry about next season until it comes."
With the Trojans boasting six seniors, sophomore Rodrick Stewart and freshman Emanuel Willis having received their releases from the school, and sophomore Lodrick Stewart having already threatened to transfer on numerous occasions, Majerus could inherit a team with only three returnees -- guards Gabe Pruitt, Dwayne Shackleford and Nick Young. USC signed two high school players in November -- shooting guard Sead Odzic and small forward Mike Freeman.
