TU Announces Frank Haith As New Head Basketball Coach

The University of Tulsa has hired a new head basketball coach to replace Danny Manning Friday afternoon.

TU President Dr. Steadman Upham and Athletic Director Derric Gragg announced the hiring of Frank Haith as the new head basketball coach at a press conference Friday. Upham called Haith's hire a "golden opportunity" for the Golden Hurricane.

Upham said TU officials had things they were looking for in an ideal candidate: Must be a sitting Division-I coach with a winning record; must have significant postseason experience; must know what it is like to change conferences; and must employ the fast-tempo style of play, which is favored by TU fans.

"There was one coach who met all of these criteria," Upham said.

4/4/2014: Related Story: Manning To Leave Tulsa For Wake Forest

"You talk about guys like Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Bill Self… [those former TU coaches] that's why I'm interested in this program. That's why I'm here," Haith said.

Haith said he is a spread pick-and-roll kind of coach and wants aggressive, attacking guard play. Defensively he likes to switch it up between pressure D and zone.

"I started watching tape on these guys and I like what I saw," Haith said. "They won because they played well together and that's a huge step toward what I think we can do at the next level."

The University of Missouri held a press conference Friday morning to announce that Frank Haith had resigned as head basketball coach of the tigers. During the press conference Missouri Director of Athletics, Mike Alden, stated that Haith did visit TU on Thursday and later texted Alden to announce his resignation.

4/17/2014: Related Story: University Of Missouri Confirms Frank Haith Leaving For Tulsa 

Haith just finished his third season at Missouri and missed the NCAA tournament after taking his first two teams to the tournament. His first team went 30-5, but was upset by No. 15 seed Norfolk State in the first round of the tournament.

Before Missouri, Haith was the head coach at Miami (FL) where he went 129-101 in seven seasons with just a single NCAA tournament appearance. The Hurricanes were just 43-69 in ACC play under Haith and finished no higher than a tie for fifth in 2008.

Haith served a five-game suspension at the beginning of this season for his involvement in the Nevin Shapiro scandal at Miami. The NCAA investigation, while mainly focused on the Hurricanes' football program, uncovered wrongdoing in the basketball program as well.

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Haith was charged with "failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance." He has repeatedly denied all charges.