Beilein confirms he's leaving WVU for Michigan

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

04/03/2007 -

Michigan hired John Beilein to coach its men's basketball team, a week after he led West Virginia to the NIT championship.

Beilein told his players of the decision Tuesday at a team meeting in Morgantown, W.Va.

``It was just the right thing for me to do at this time,'' Beilein said outside the WVU Coliseum. ``There's never a good time to leave.''

Beilein, who took a downtrodden program to two NCAA tournaments in five seasons, takes over a Michigan team that hasn't made the NCAAs since 1998.

Beilein's West Virginia teams made deep runs in the NCAA tournament the previous two seasons and the Mountaineers beat Clemson 78-73 for the NIT title last week. WVU, which won 22 games during the regular season, felt slighted when it wasn't chosen for this year's NCAA tournament.

There will be high expectations at Michigan, which fired Tommy Amaker in mid-March after the Wolverines went to the NIT for the third time in four years.

Beilein went 104-60 at West Virginia, including 27-9 this year despite losing his top four scorers from a year ago. Only one other team in school history amassed more wins - a Jerry West-led team that lost to California in the NCAA championship game in 1959.

The 54-year-old Beilein, under contract through the 2011-12 season, was to earn at least $740,000 per season with annual increases of $20,000.

Wherever he's coached, Beilein has been a success, taking teams without great talent to five NCAA tournaments and six NIT appearances in 29 seasons. His 1-3-1 defense gives opponents fits and his offense ranked second in the country averaging 10.3 3-pointers this season.

In only one of his five previous coaching jobs has Beilein stayed more than five years. He spent nine years at LeMoyne, then five apiece at Canisius and Richmond before coming to West Virginia, where he recently completed his fifth season.

In 2005, after taking the Mountaineers to the NCAA regional finals, Beilein received a contract extension to derail a possible courtship from Virginia.

Last year North Carolina State came calling, but a $3 million buyout clause in Beilein's contract derailed negotiations.

It will cost Michigan $2.5 million to buy out Beilein at West Virginia, plus his salary, which could run about $1 million per season in a multiyear contract.

``I am excited about this new opportunity at Michigan,'' Beilein said. ``I wouldn't go there if I didn't think they could win a national championship.''

---

AP Sports Writer John Raby contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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