NEW YORK “”mdash; Assistant men’s basketball coach Kerry Keating, who has been honored multiple times as one of the top recruiters in the country, was named as one of the finalists for the Long Beach State and Santa Clara men’s basketball coaching jobs earlier this week, according to multiple sources.
Keating, who has spent the past four seasons as an assistant for the Bruins, was reported by the Long Beach Press-Telegram to have received an offer for the 49ers’ position on Wednesday, but Keating as of Thursday night had still not made his decision.
Keating as well as former Bruin point guard and current Washington assistant Cameron Dollar have both gone through multiple interviews with the 49ers’ athletic director Vic Cegles, and are considered the top two candidates for the position.
If Keating were to leave for either Long Beach State or Santa Clara, he would be the second consecutive assistant to leave the Bruins for a head coaching job.
Former Bruin assistant coach Ernie Ziegler left the Bruins last July to become the head coach at Central Michigan.
Keating, who graduated from Seton Hall in 1993, was an assistant coach at five other schools before joining the Bruin staff in 2004.
ABOYA CHOSEN: UCLA center Alfred Aboya has been selected to represent the Bruins at the Annual NCAA National Leadership Conference, scheduled from May 27-31 in Buena Vista, Fla.
Aboya, who is a political science student, plans to return to his native Cameroon after graduation and pursue a career in politics. The Leadership forum is the perfect event for Aboya as it allows student-athletes from all around the country to discuss issues that affect their campuses and their communities. Aboya was chosen as one of four nominated UCLA students for the conference.
PAC-10 NEWS: Arizona sophomore forward Marcus Williams has declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft, while Cal junior guard Omar Wilkes announced on Wednesday that he would not be returning to the Bears for his senior season. Wilkes said he wants to concentrate on his post-graduate opportunities.
DRIBBLERS: Incoming UCLA freshman Kevin Love was named the Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year earlier this week. The winner of the John R. Wooden Award will be named at the Los Angeles Athletic Club this Saturday. Bruin guard Arron Afflalo is one of the finalists for the award.
Former Bruin great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named one of 12 members of the 2007 Hall of Fame inductee class. Abdul-Jabbar will be honored on Nov. 18 in Kansas City.