IOWA CITY - On a day when Iowa director of athletics Gary Barta encouraged patience, a fan favorite to become the next Hawkeye basketball coach said he is not interested in the job.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, a former Iowa assistant who led the Volunteers to a Sweet 16 berth in this year's NCAA tournament, said Tuesday he will remain at the Southeastern Conference school.

"I'm not leaving Tennessee," Pearl told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Barta received permission early Tuesday from Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton to speak with Pearl and talked with him by phone Tuesday morning. By midday, Pearl had indicated that he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm putting it out there just as fast as I can because I don't want it to be a concern of our fans, and I want to demonstrate my loyalty and my commitment to this program. I appreciate very much being here, so I don't want them to worry about me going anywhere," Pearl told The Associated Press. "This is where I want to be. I want to be here as long as they'll be happy with me here.

"I listened out of respect for their program. I thanked them for their interest," Pearl added.

Pearl was a member of Tom Davis' Iowa staff from 1986-92.

He is in his second season at Tennessee, where he has gone 46-29 and is under contract through 2012 with compensation averaging $1.3 million per year. His contract includes a $1 million buyout clause.

Pearl previously coached at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Southern Indiana after leaving Iowa.

His Iowa ties and head coaching success made Pearl a favorite candidate among fans on message boards and on-line polls being conducted by a number of newspapers, including the Quad-City Times.

With a multitude of openings scattered across the country, Pearl isn't the only coach indicating he plans to stay put.

UNLV coach Lon Kruger echoed similar sentiments.

Kruger, a former Illinois coach whose name has been mentioned in connection with all three of the openings at Big Ten schools this year, said he and his wife, Barb, are happy in their current surroundings.

"I'm not talking jobs with anybody," Kruger said. "I haven't and I don't plan to. I'm happy. We've moved around a lot, and we love Las Vegas. This is a place we hope to call home for a long time."

While some coaches don't want to consider a move, others don't mind the attention.

Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy, whose team used a last-second shot to oust Iowa from the 2006 NCAA tourney, is interested in replacing Alford.

His agent, Gary Ebert, said McConathy sent Iowa officials a resume and application Friday.

"Our hope is to get a look, an interview," Ebert said. "He meets their stated qualifications and has a lot to offer."

McConathy directed the Demons to the Southland Conference tourney championship game three times in the last five years.

Iowa's Barta isn't talking about the opening and reiterated Tuesday he doesn't plan to speak publicly on the subject until a new coach is hired.

"Last Friday, I indicated that in short order the search process would enter the phase where confidentiality and due diligence takes priority over public comment, and that our friends, fans and the media would need to be patient. We are in that phase," Barta said in a statement he issued in conjunction with announcing the members of a search committee that will assist him in the search.

Contact Steve Batterson at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com