USC high on Hilltoppers' Horn

COLUMBIA — Surprising to some in and around the program, South Carolina's basketball coaching search is moving forward without Jeff Capel.

Capel signed an extension Thursday to stay at Oklahoma, quelling the talk that the former Duke guard might be moving back to the Carolinas.

For a time earlier in the week, it appeared Capel was very near to reaching a deal with USC. Several sources said they thought Capel was a lock for the job.

Capel and the Sooners reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before Elite Eight participant Louisville bounced OU by 30.

Capel, 33, will make $1.05 million a year plus incentives in the new deal, up from his previous base of $750,000.

"I want to thank the University of Oklahoma, especially President (David) Boren and Joe Castiglione, for the continued belief in me and in our basketball program,'' Capel told reporters. "Our program made tremendous progress this season and the new contract will allow us to build on our momentum."

With Capel out of the mix, South Carolina now turns to a group of candidates headed by Western Kentucky's Darrin Horn.

Multiple sources said Thursday and Friday that Horn's stock is on the rise in the eyes of USC's small search trust, which includes athletic director Eric Hyman and academic advisor Al Daniel.

Horn's Hilltoppers lost Thursday night to UCLA in the Sweet 16. Western Kentucky, a 12 seed, upset Drake in the opening round on an improbable, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ty Rogers.

That win, and then another against 13th-seeded San Diego, made Horn and the Hilltoppers household names.

Horn, 35, played at Western in the early 1990s. He took over as head coach in 2003, after Dennis Felton went to Georgia. Prior to that, he was on Tom Crean's Marquette staff.

Horn's base salary is about $150,000, but his entire package is thought to be $300,000-400,000. South Carolina is said to be willing to pay the new coach between $1-1.5 million.

Other names that USC is said to have some interest in are Xavier coach Sean Miller and UMass coach Travis Ford. Both of those teams are still playing, Xavier in the NCAAs and UMass in the NIT.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the new South Carolina blog at charleston.net/blogs/gamecocks.