NEW ORLEANS ? Outgoing LSU athletic director Skip Bertman is also out, for the most part, of the men's basketball coaching search that has been put on hold until a new athletic director is hired. "I am not as involved as I was," Bertman said recently. "I have no other comment on the basketball search." Bertman, who fired coach John Brady on Feb. 7, and associate athletic director Eddie Nunez, who played and coached under Billy Donovan and Anthony Grant at Florida and has many basketball contacts, were originally very involved in the basketball search. Grant, who is the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth, at one time was the focus of LSU's search. It is not clear now if he remains the top choice or if he is not interested. Bertman, who becomes athletic director emeritus as of July 1, had said in February he would not hire a search firm because of Nunez' contacts and that he could have a basketball coach in place before an athletic director was hired. That has changed, according to interim LSU chancellor William Jenkins. "We're identifying potential candidates for men's basketball coaching job at the moment, but the imperative here is to get the athletic director designee in place first," Jenkins said last week outside the State Capitol. "If you're a basketball coach, you'd like to know who you're answering to, and we're trying very hard to get that sequential so it's appropriate. I hope we can accomplish that, and we need to at least have an AD designated." Jenkins would not answer a specific question on Grant. The Parker Executive search firm of Atlanta was recently hired for $75,000, or a third of the new coach's contract if it is higher, to perform the men's basketball coach search, Jerry Baudoin, the vice chancellor of finance at LSU. "We now have two contracts at the same price with the Parker firm ? one for the athletic director search and one for the men's basketball coach search," Baudoin said. Bertman had spoken to the Parker firm and other firms in February but decided he did not need a search firm. In the meantime, LSU is losing ground to other schools looking for basketball coaches. Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan recently received permission from Washington State to talk to coach Tony Bennett, according to published reports. South Carolina will hire Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn, according to ESPN.com, and TCU has hired Kent State coach Jim Christian. Bennett and Christian were on the list of Bertman and Nunez. Bertman had said when he fired Brady that the move was made in midseason so he could get a jump on hiring process. "You and I both know that time's getting short for the basketball coach identification and hiring," Jenkins said. "So I think we're OK time wise, if we'll have an AD in place who can participate in that process. I can't guarantee that it will work that way, but that's what the hope and expectation is. And the reason is obvious." LSU opened its athletic director search in December but has yet to make any recommendations. "This is an athletic program that anyone in their right mind would want to lead," LSU president John Lombardi said at an athletic director search committee meeting on Jan. 18. At that meeting, it was said that a recommendation could be made in March. Instead, LSU will not begin interviewing until April. LSU's public affairs office on Monday released the names of six athletic director candidates who will be interviewed on Wednesday. Those included three new candidates ? Duke athletic director Joe Alleva, former Florida State athletic director Dave Hart Jr. and Kentucky associate athletic director Rob Mullins. Three previously identified candidates will also be interviewed ? Florida Atlantic athletic director Craig Angelos and LSU associate athletic directors Herb Vincent and Verge Ausberry. "Oh I think we're probably getting close on that one," Jenkins said. Jenkins was asked if LSU is falling behind in finding a basketball coach. "Remember, because we're using a search firm that the major potential candidates all know where we are," he said. "The search firm is speaking to the candidates. Those who are potentially available know." Jenkins was asked if LSU could lose a coach like Grant because the basketball coach search is being delayed by the athletic director search, which will enter its fifth month today. "We also may gain a coach because we're right in the middle of the tournament now," he said. "So you just don't know. It's unusual, and then of course you have an AD who doesn't know who he's going to be answering to. Because I'm interim chancellor." When chancellor Sean O'Keefe was let go by LSU in February that delayed the athletic director search, Jenkins said. September is the target date for the new chancellor. "It's difficult, but it's manageable," Jenkins said. "This could work out just fine. The perfect sequence is athletic director, then coach. We're talking about a fairly quick turnaround here, but it's not as if we're idle. We're not idle at all in this. This is a very active process, but it's not a public process. We on the basketball side are not involved yet because we have to tend to the other hiring first." Jenkins was asked if he and Lombardi considered keeping Bertman as athletic director for another year in order to facilitate the basketball search. As it is, Bertman will be paid a salary in the $400,000 range as emeritus while the new athletic director is expected to make in the $500,000 range. "That's not been brought to my attention," Jenkins said. "But of course again, I'm in the unusual position that I'm in. We have a very active AD search under way. Depending on how this plays out, I think you wouldn't argue that the basketball coach really would like to know who he's working for, and that's the imperative we're trying to match and mate." 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