WKU coach Darrin Horn to speak with South Carolina

Per the Courier-Journal, South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman will be speaking with Western Kentucky University basketball coach Darrin Horn about his replacing Dave Odom. If this does happen, Horn would be the second Sun Belt coach to jump to the SEC with the last being John Pelphrey moving from South Alabama to Arkansas. He would join his WKU predecessor, Dennis Felton, who currently coaches at Georgia. He would be the third Kentucky native of the current people coaching in the conference, with the others being Pelphrey and Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State).

Western Kentucky University basketball coach Darrin Horn will be speaking to the University of South Carolina about its job opening. Western athletic director Wood Selig said last night that South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman left a message on Selig’s cell phone that he would be contacting Horn. Hyman did not leave a callback number. Selig added that Horn spoke to him yesterday and that the Western coach was interested in talking with South Carolina.

“(Horn) said he had been contacted by South Carolina and he expressed an interest in talking with them,” Selig said. “But before he spoke with them in detail he said he wanted to first notify me and let me know. That’s pretty much where we left it. I said ‘talk to them and find out what that’s all about. Let’s stay in touch throughout the process. We’ll take it from there.’”

Selig said he wasn’t sure when a formal interview would take place.

Horn was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The State, a South Carolina newspaper, reported on its website on Friday that Horn was believed to be the leading candidate for South Carolina. Selig said that South Carolina is the only school so far to notify him of an interest in Horn. He wouldn’t be surprised if other programs called.

“I’m sure there are probably many schools interested in coach Horn given the history of success he’s had at WKU and the march that we’ve just enjoyed through the tournament,” Selig said. “I’m sure he’s a very popular candidate right now.”[...]

The 35-year-old Horn has deep Kentucky ties. He is a native of Glasgow, a Tates Creek graduate and a Western alumnus. He was a sophomore guard on Western’s 1993 Sweet 16 squad.