USD basketball coach Bill Grier confirms he interviewed at Oregon State

4/1/2008 8:02 PM

SAN DIEGO (AP) -University of San Diego coach Bill Grier, who led Toreros to the NCAA tournament in his first season with the school, said Tuesday he interviewed for the vacant Oregon State job but hasn't accepted it.

``I have met and talked to them,'' Grier said before the team's banquet. ``There is a discussion and there's a feeling-out process going, I think, between both parties, and that's where it stands right now. That's really all the further it's gone, and I am still the basketball coach at the University of San Diego.''

Grier's mother lives in Oregon and hasn't been in great health, which could factor into a decision.

Oregon State fired Jay John on Jan. 21, when the Beavers were 6-12. Oregon State went winless in the Pac-10.

After spending 16 seasons on Gonzaga's staff, Grier was hired at USD a year ago to replace the fired Brad Holland. The Toreros upset Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference tournament, then upset Connecticut for the school's first victory in the NCAA tournament. The Toreros lost to Western Kentucky in the second round.