Arkansas lands new coach in Kent State's Heath

<br>FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) _ Stan Heath was hired as coach at Arkansas on Thursday after leading Kent State to the final eight of the NCAA tournament. <br><br>He replaces the only coach to lead the Razorbacks

Thursday, March 28th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) _ Stan Heath was hired as coach at Arkansas on Thursday after leading Kent State to the final eight of the NCAA tournament.

He replaces the only coach to lead the Razorbacks to an NCAA basketball title. Nolan Richardson was fired one game shy of completing his 17th year at the school.

Heath was introduced at Bud Walton Arena, with chancellor John White passing out Heath candy bars to open the news conference. Within a minute of announcing Heath's appointment, athletic director Frank Broyles led a crowd in a ``Woo-Pig-Sooie'' cheer.

Hours earlier, Heath's resignation at Kent State was announced on the Ohio campus by athletic director Laing Kennedy.

``I love Stan Heath, I love what he stands for,'' Kennedy said. ``I personally will miss him.''

Heath was in his first year at Kent State and had a five-year contract. Kennedy felt complimented that Heath was taking the Arkansas job.

``You do not want to have coaches nobody else wants,'' Kennedy said. ``In my opinion, Arkansas is one of the top five jobs in America.''

The 10th-seeded Golden Flashes (30-6) fell one victory short of a Final Four berth, losing to Indiana 81-69 in the NCAA South Regional final.

Kennedy said Heath told him Wednesday night during an emotional meeting at the athletic director's home that he was leaving.

Heath was among a half-dozen coaches interviewed by the Arkansas search committee. He also traveled to West Virginia to inquire about the job that opened when Gale Catlett retired.

``He's one of those hot, young coaches that has made a name for himself,'' Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said from the Final Four in Atlanta. ``I know coming in behind Nolan Richardson, he's got some big shoes to fill. Whenever you follow a legend, it's tough.''

Heath was in Fayetteville on Tuesday and was the only candidate given a personal tour of Walton Arena by Broyles. Also, university officials held a reception for Heath and his wife.

Arkansas fired Richardson on March 1, four days after he said for a second time he wanted to be bought out, criticized fans and reporters and said he was treated differently because he is black.

Heath, too, is black. He follows a coach whose teams enjoyed one of the best runs in the nation in the 1990s. Richardson's team was 13-14 when he was dismissed for comments Broyles and White believed hurt the program. The Arkansas system president last week upheld the dismissal.

Richardson said publicly he wanted the university to buy out the last six years of his seven-year, $1.03 million annual contract.

Heath's contract at Kent State called for an annual base salary of $120,000.

Heath was named coach at Kent State in 2001 after helping Michigan State win a national title and reach the Final Four during his three years as an assistant.

Heath also was an assistant at Bowling Green, Wayne State, Albion and Hillsdale.

During their tournament run, the Golden Flashes beat Oklahoma State, Alabama and Pittsburgh.

Kennedy said he already has talked with three people about replacing Heath. He declined to name them.

Kent State's success had special meaning for the Mid-American Conference. The only other time the MAC had a team in an NCAA regional final was in 1964 with Ohio University.

Kent State's 30 wins marked a single-season record for any MAC team, as was the team's 21-game winning streak.