SMU's winding search for a men's basketball coach has taken another turn.
St. Louis coach Rick Majerus has turned down SMU's offer, a source told the St. Louis Dispatch on Thursday morning.
Majerus is the latest in a growing list of candidates to reject SMU's month-long search to replace the fired Matt Doherty. The Mustangs are reportedly willing to offer $2 million a year, which would have doubled Majerus' salary, but can't find any takers.
SMU athletic director Steve Orsini has not commented on the search process.
It's worth noting that Orsini's search to hire football coach June Jones was also a long wait. Former coach Phil Bennett was fired Oct. 28, 2007, and Jones' hiring was announced Jan. 7, 2008.
The wait turned out to be worth it, as Jones has taken a formerly downtrodden SMU football program to three straight bowl games.
SMU's previous basketball targets have included Marquette's Buzz Williams, Long Beach State's Dan Monson and Harvard's Tommy Amaker.
Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown has expressed interest in the job, but it's not known whether the feeling is mutual.
In addition to offering a hefty salary, SMU also can boast membership in one of college basketball's power conferences when it joins the Big East in 2013-14.
SMU has also committed to a major renovation of aging Moody Coliseum, and the Dallas area is a hotbed for recruiting.
All SMU needs, apparently, is a coach willing to take on the challenge of a program that has not made an NCAA tournament appearance since 1993.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
