by MizzMatt - 3/27/11
West Lafayette, IN- “We have independently confirmed that Purdue's coach (Matt Painter) has been contacted by Missouri and it has been made known that he's the primary target in their search for a successor to Mike Anderson.” That excerpt comes from Purdue's Rivals.com page, becoming the first outside confirmation of the Mizzou Athletic Department (MUAD) contacting Boilermaker men's basketball coach Matt Painter.Painter, who is currently making around $1.5 mil/yr with incentives ($1.3 mil base salary), has been reportedly offered a $2 mil/yr contract by Mizzou. According to a source close to the MUAD, Mizzou and Painter are now "talking seriously." It's also been rumored that Painter will be in Columbia on Monday, 3/28, to discuss the formalities of the offer.
Purdue is also reporting that should Painter become the new head coach of the Tigers, they may go after former Boilermaker and current Missouri State Bears coach Cuonzo Martin to take the reigns in West Lafayette. Speculation surrounding Martin being a target by the MUAD was cleared up in a press conference with the Bears' coach, stating that he "has not been contacted by the University of Missouri."
