De Carolis picking up the pace in search.

Byline: OSU BASKETBALL By Adam Jude The Register-Guard

After scouring various locations for its next men's basketball coach, Oregon State may have found a prime candidate from close to home.

San Diego coach Bill Grier, a graduate of Cottage Grove High School and the University of Oregon, met with OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis on Monday, according to reports in the Oregonian and Corvallis Gazette-Times.

De Carolis may meet again with Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett in Corvallis today, according to the Oregonian.

Indeed, after weeks of speculation, it seems Oregon State's search to replace Jay John is nearing an end. De Carolis previously stated he would like to make a hire before the Final Four.

"All I can say is we hope to have it wrapped up shortly," OSU sports information director Steve Fenk said.

It seems OSU will try to make a hire before Cal, which fired Ben Braun, fills its vacancy. There could be another opening in the Pac-10 if Tony Bennett opts to leave Washington State, which could create a domino effect Oregon State is hoping to avoid.

Several Bay Area newspapers have reported that De Carolis met with Randy Bennett last week in the Bay Area, though the San Jose Mercury News reported that he would be staying at Saint Mary's and that he would prefer Cal over Oregon State.

But interest would seem to be rekindled if Randy Bennett shows up on campus today. That he would consider a visit was surprising to one source close to the Saint Mary's coach, who said that as of Saturday Randy Bennett was "not particularly interested" in taking over the Oregon State job.

Either way, Oregon State officials have started looking at other options, and Grier's stock has risen considerably.

After 16 years as an assistant at Gonzaga, Grier, 44, just completed his first season as a head coach. He led San Diego to a win over Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game, then helped the Toreros upset fourth-seeded UConn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

After winning the WCC Tournament, and defeating his close friend, Mark Few, in doing so, Grier was given a multi-year contract extension at San Diego even as his name began to surface for openings at other schools.

"It's such a crazy business," Grier told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It's a very fragile, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of profession. You win these two (West Coast Conference Tournament) games on your home floor and all of a sudden your name is out there. You try not to get caught up in it one way or the other."

It was suggested to Grier that a leap to a bigger school would provide long-term financial security.

"... But is the extra money really worth the headaches that come along with some of the jobs?" Grier told the newspaper. "Sure, there are jobs that pay a lot more because they have more resources, but are they worth it?"

Some say Grier is simply the "flavor of the month," but Cottage Grove High School Principal Donn Pollard said Grier has an established history.

Pollard, the school's longtime basketball coach, hired Grier as the Cottage Grove freshman coach in 1986, Grier's first coaching job.

"Obviously Billy is a good coach. He's a student of the game," said Pollard, who has kept in contact with Grier. "We still do things that he came up with."

Grier became the head coach at Creswell High in 1990, serving for one season there before moving on to Gonzaga. Whether he will make the move to Corvallis remains to be seen.

Other coaches mentioned in the discussion are Portland State's Ken Bone and Southern Mississippi's Larry Eustachy.