Carter takes over at Nevada; Fox introduced at Georgia

Associated Press

University of Nevada, Reno, president Milton Glick, left, and athletic director Cary Groth, right stand with newly named head basketball coach David Carter at Legacy Hall Friday, April 3, 2009.

By Sun Staff (contact)

Friday, April 3, 2009 | 6 p.m.

Associated Press

Former Nevada head basketball coach Mark Fox laughs during a news conference where he was introduced as Georgia's new basketball coach, Friday April 3, 2009 in Athens, Ga.

Georgia naming Mark Fox as its new men’s basketball coach might have came as a mild surprise, but Nevada promoting longtime assistant David Carter as Fox’s replacement, certainly wasn’t.

Nevada athletic director Cary Groth officially named Carter, an assistant at UNR since 1999, at a press conference in Reno Friday afternoon.

“David brings great integrity and competitiveness to this position and he is the right person to continue to lead the Wolf Pack basketball program forward," Groth said.

"He provides continuity and has played a significant role in building the foundation that has made our program so successful."

The 42-year-old Carter said Nevada — which has posted six consecutive 20-win seasons and made seven straight postseason appearances, four in the NCAA tournament — wouldn’t miss a beat.

"This program is not going backward, I promise that," said Carter of the Wolf Pack, which compiled a 21-13 record this season and return all but two players for next year.

"We're going to compete every year for a championship -- that's our goal. Play in the postseason. That's always been our goal."

Meanwhile Fox — who compiled a 123-43 record in five seasons at Nevada, won four Western Athletic Conference championships and reached the NCAA tournament three times — was introduced as the Bulldogs new coach at a morning press conference.

“I'm embarking on a new adventure in my career," said Fox, who met with his Nevada players late Thursday night to give them the news. "I'm leaving a great place where I loved to coach. I want to thank all the people of northern Nevada for all the support we had."

Despite having few contacts in the south, Georgia athletic director Damon Evans was sold on the 40-year-old Fox soon after meeting with him in Atlanta on Thursday.

Evans offered the job a few hours later and Fox agreed to a six-year deal paying him $1.3 million annually — a significant raise over the $760,000-a-year salary of his predecessor, Dennis Felton.

Felton was fired in January as the Bulldogs looked to heading for another disappointing season. Georgia finished 12-20 overall and 3-13 in the Southeastern Conference under interim coach Pete Herrmann.

"I know this is going to be a great day when we look back on the history of Georgia men's basketball program," Evans said. "Mark Fox is one of the country's brightest up-and-coming coaches."

Fox told reporters during his press conference that he expected Carter to get the job in Reno.

Carter, who starred for St. Mary’s from 1985-89, has primarily worked Wolf Pack perimeter players — helping with the likes of Ramon Sessions, in his first year with the Milwaukee Bucks, and All-WAC first-teamers Armon Johnson and Marcelus Kemp.

Carter also served as an assistant at Eastern Washington and his alma mater, Saint Mary's.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.