Dana Altman Returns To Creighton

[UNTflyer]

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Coach Dana Altman will return to Creighton a day after being hired as coach at Arkansas.

And from ESPN...

Dana Altman, introduced as Arkansas' new basketball coach on Monday, changed his mind less than 24 hours later and will announce Tuesday night that he is returning to Creighton, where he has coached the Blue Jays the past 13 seasons, sources at Arkansas said Tuesday night.

Altman, who had a 260-141 record at Creighton, was in his office at Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena and is expected to address reporters gathered outside the arena before 8 p.m. He spent much of the day in his new office in Fayetteville, but met with Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles and university chancellor John A. White earlier in the day and expressed reservations about taking the job.

Altman was hired Sunday night by Broyles, who will have to renew an arduous search for a replacement for Stan Heath, who was fired last month after six seasons. Broyles, who has spent more than 50 years as the school's athletic director and football coach, will retire at the end of the year.

Altman was believed to be at least the Razorbacks' sixth target. Arkansas officials reportedly offered the job to Texas A&M's Billy Gillespie, Kansas' Bill Self, Southern California's Tim Floyd, Memphis' John Calipari and Marquette's Tom Crean, who each turned the job down.

At Monday's press conference, Altman said, "You don't stay in a place 13 years, and in 72 hours change your feelings about a special place and a special group of players that I had. So today, although I'm very excited, has also been very tough."

Edited April 4, 2007 by UNTflyer