Report: Alabama A.D. to meet with Gregg Marshall in Wichita

Alabama athletic director Bill Battle will meet with Wichita State men’s basketball coach Gregg Marshall on Monday in Wichita, according to TideSports.com reporter Cecil Hurt.

“UA is expected to make a financial offer to Marshall that would make him one of the nation’s Top 10 highest-paid basketball coaches,” Hurt wrote. “The deal would be expected to exceed the $3.4 million annually that Steve Alford received for moving from New Mexico to UCLA in 2013.”

Marshall, 52, makes a base salary of $1.85 million, plus bonuses at Wichita State, an amount that will likely go to around $2 million soon. He is on a seven-year rollover contract with a buyout of $400,000 that drops to $300,000 on April 15.

Earlier this month, Marshall told radio host Jim Rome he would listen to Alabama’s offer.

“I’m coaching my team, and that’s what I’m going to do, hopefully, for another couple of weeks,” Marshall said. “And if Alabama is still interested in talking to us with some type of crazy offer at that time, then we will certainly entertain that, but it’s going to take some type of crazy offer to get us to leave Wichita State.”

Beyond the money, Alabama may not offer features that separate it from other high-profile schools that Marshall turned away in recent seasons. Marshall’s most consistent standard for a new job is that it not be a rebuilding situation. Alabama went 19-15 this season, 32-34 the past two seasons and 117-85 in former coach Anthony Grant’s six seasons. Grant made three NIT appearances and grabbed an NCAA berth in 2012.

Marshall’s name is annually connected to openings and Wichita State athletic director Eric Sexton acknowledges his school can’t win a bidding war with schools from high-profile conferences, should it come to that. So far, Wichita State’s combination of fan support, emphasis on basketball and comfortable working conditions have been enough to keep Marshall happy through eight seasons.

“If it ends up being about money, then there is some point that number is not attainable and wouldn’t be financially responsible,” Sexton said last week. “But there are so many other things that add up to what is a great job opportunity. We try to pay attention to all of those things.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Report: Alabama A.D. to meet with Gregg Marshall in Wichita."