Still, rumors are bound to follow the Friars' coach as his team visits Madison Square Garden today.

01:00 AM EST on Sunday, February 29, 2004

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

NEW YORK -- It only takes a visit to New York to bring about a bit of tabloid controversy.

When Tim Welsh strides to the sidelines at Madison Square Garden for today's Big East contest against St. John's, some Red Storm supporters will envision the Providence College coach as their future leader. St. John's is looking for a coach, and a report in Friday's New York Post pegged Welsh and Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt as the search committee's first choices.

Welsh's name was linked to the job when Mike Jarvis was fired in December and the Friar mentor said at the time he had no interest in a move to the Big Apple. He echoed the same sentiments after the most recent Post story hit the streets.

"I don't have any interest in the St. John's job," Welsh said. "St. John's is a good job for the right person, but the right person is not me. I think I have a great job. We've moved forward."

Asked if he'd listen if St. John's called, Welsh said, "No. I like it here in Providence."

PC enters today's game looking for its 20th victory. A win would set up a showdown for first place in the Big East on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Those are lofty heights, the type which the Friars have never seen. Follow that up with a top-four seed and a strong run in the NCAA Tournament and Welsh's stock only rises.

No doubt sensing a challenge to keep his coach, PC athletic director Bob Driscoll said Friday he'd begun discussions on an extension of Welsh's contract. He has four years left on a deal he signed in 2001, the only other season he led PC to the NCAA's. Welsh is looking for his first NCAA tourney win this March.

"I want to do everything I can to make Tim happy here and that includes a contract extension," said Driscoll.

Welsh said he didn't want talk of deals during his team's late-season run of success, but he did say that, "Bob has broached the subject with me, yes. If the school wants to talk about extending my deal, I'll be happy to sit down and talk. But I have a contract that I'm happy with. That's up to them."

Welsh knows that regardless of what he says, the ravenous New York press will surround him like sharks today and ask about the St. John's job. He insists he'll tell them he has no interest in jumping to Queens. Among the other coaching names linked to the Storm position are URI's Jim Baron, Ohio State's Jim O'Brien, former Florida coach Lon Kruger and ex-North Carolina boss Matt Doherty.

Whoever gets the St. John's job faces a monstrous rebuilding process. The Storm were left with just four scholarship players because of a late-night rendezvous after a loss in Pittsburgh last month. Six players left the team hotel, went to a strip club and brought a woman back to the hotel. Three players reportedly had sex with the woman, who then claimed she was raped. A police investigation led to the woman being charged with solicitation and the players getting off legally but facing severe sanctions from the school.

The group left behind was pounded initially but has become competitive in many games under interim coach Kevin Clark. The highlight was a home win over Georgetown, but barring a shocking turn of events, St. John's will miss the Big East Tournament in two weeks for the first time ever.

"I never doubted how competitive we'd be. It was how good we'd be," said Clark. "The guys are learning to play with each other and growing with each other."

The leaders are sophomore Daryll Hill, a guard known in the city's playgrounds as "Showtime," and senior forward Kyle Cuffe.

"When you look at it from afar, you wonder how they'd stay in games because they lost so many players," said Welsh, "but they have guys who have a lot of pride to put that jersey on. Kevin Clark has always been a fighter and he's finding a way to get the most out of these kids."