Auburn's search for a new basketball coach, just as it prepares to open a $90 million arena, will try to change the negative perception of a program that has missed the NCAA Tournament seven straight years."For the past six years that Jeff Lebo has been in charge, it's been the worst job in the SEC because they've had the worst facility in the league and I think they've had the worst commitment in the league," ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes said. "That's changing. We're getting ready to find out how serious Auburn is in basketball with this hire."What does Auburn need in a coach? Several people who follow college basketball say the Tigers must hire a coach with recruiting contacts in the Southeast, who understands Auburn's culture, and who can help change the program's image."The perception is bad, but that's not the case," said former Auburn coach Sonny Smith, who wants Chuck Person to get the job. "They say the arena's not right, so that hurts you in recruiting. They say you're a football school, and that hurts you in recruiting. It becomes a cycle. When you're not winning, the thing you need most is recruiting."Auburn's NCAA Tournament drought is tied as the ninth-longest active streak among the 73 teams that make up the six power conferences. Only Ole Miss has a longer drought within the SEC.In 2008-09, Auburn reported $7.19 million in men's basketball revenue and $4.52 million on men's basketball expenses, according to figures filed with the U.S. Department of Education.That ranked Auburn ninth in the SEC in revenue and 10th in expenses.Nationally, Auburn was below-average in basketball revenue and expenses among power-conference teams -- but not as low as one might think.The Tigers were 44th out of 73 in revenue, ahead of schools such as Villanova, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Kansas State. Auburn ranked 47th out of 73 in expenses, ahead of teams such as Wake Forest, Clemson, Mississippi State and N.C. State.Five other schools in power conferences are also currently searching for a new coach: St. John's, DePaul, Seton Hall, Oregon and Iowa. DePaul has said it's prepared to make its next coach one of the richest in the Big East. The Birmingham News reported that Auburn's new coach could be the fourth or fifth highest-paid in the SEC."If Auburn is ever going to be a constant player in the SEC in basketball, I think they need to start right now," Dykes said. "I think this hire is critical for this school to capitalize on the momentum of the new building and the momentum the league has going right now with all the TV exposure."If the Tigers hire the right coach, "they could become a major player in basketball in the SEC," Dykes said. "I think within three years they could be in the NCAA Tournament."C.M. Newton, a former SEC coach and athletics director, said the next coach needs to understand the "unique nature" of Auburn."The location makes it unique," Newton said. "It's in a smaller town. There's no real large city at its doorstep. I think it's unique in that their alumni bases are very, very loyal."Smith puts it another way."I think he has to be an Auburn-type person," he said. "You don't know how important that is until you've been to Auburn. That's No. 1. And No. 2, you need a guy who can coach and has recruiting contacts."Smith said he is pushing for Person, one of his former players, because he knows the game, has coached in the NBA for a decade, and knows Auburn and this state."I never knew a player like Chuck who wanted to know everything about the game and would sit in coaches' meetings," Smith said. "They're going to say Chuck Person has never recruited. But that can be changed by hiring a great recruiter with contacts in those areas."For instance, Auburn was successful when I was there largely because we were able to make inroads in Alabama. We didn't control the state. Wimp (Sanderson, then Alabama's coach) did. But we made inroads. I think they need to do that again."Recruiting is the single-biggest challenge for Auburn's next coach, said Dave Telep, national recruiting director for Scout.com."It's a challenging job," Telep said. "It's a place where football rules the roost, and I think it's going to take somebody to come in and establish a basketball brand for Auburn. It's going to require some patience."With an established recruiting pipeline, some vision and the ability to think outside the box, Telep said Auburn is capable of making a good hire."But it's really going to take someone pushing the goals of the athletic department to show how committed they are," Telep said.Someone who can sell the program publicly would just be a bonus, Dykes said."If you start winning, that's going to sell yourself," he said. "You better hire somebody who can deliver a product."
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