Quick drawing media needs to hold their fire

During an idle day for the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball tournament March 10, and an off day for Eastern Washington, the Eagles still crept into the news.

Make that newsmaker Eastern head coach Jim Hayford, the fifth-year Eagles basketball boss.

In a San Francisco Chronicle story from Steve Kroner about the firing of University of San Francisco head basketball coach Rex Walters, Hayford was one of two names mentioned as Walters’ possible replacement because of his Bay Area roots.

Hayford was in some pretty good company, too, sharing billing with Steve Lavin, a current television analyst, but with two notable stints of 12 seasons with UCLA and St. John’s.

Lavin is maybe best known for his work at UCLA, where after ascending from assistant to head coach following the firing of Jim Harrick, guided the Bruins to an Elite-eight finish in 1997, the first of six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Another story on Walters’ from down the bay in the San Jose Mercury News, also told of the firing but never had a mention of unnamed sources confirming “two candidates with Bay Area ties,” as did Kroner’s report.

Considering what has been learned since Hayford’s name appeared in the story is maddening to the Cheney Free Press editorial board — and hopefully to others. It would seem this is simply throwing out names for names sake.

Whether Eastern players’ preparation for their second-round game, a 77-73 loss to Idaho, was affected or not, what was puzzling was the timing of the news report. In our estimation at least, it was simply the need to have a “You read it here first,” moment.

That’s especially poignant considering the Dons’ stance on the matter.

“From our standpoint we haven’t and won’t name any candidates interested in our coaching position to the media,” Jim Young, USF’s basketball sports information director wrote in an email.

Kroner has not yet replied to our email request for clarification on his report.

“Right now my focus is on Eastern Washington,” Hayford told the Patchin, Lukins and Osso Show on 700 ESPN last week. “He said he’s not heard from anyone at USF,” Dennis Patchin was told by Hayford.

This is not the first time unfounded reports have tabbed Eastern coaches for other jobs. It’s happened with EWU football coach Beau Baldwin in 2014 when Eastern was about to face the University of Montana in an opening round playoff game.

Baldwin was supposedly on the Grizzlies’ short list to replace the retiring Mick Delaney. But like Hayford, Baldwin had never spoken to Montana officials.

The last time an Eastern basketball coach was courted came in 2004 when Ray Giacoletti left Cheney for Salt Lake City and the University of Utah. That, however, took place well after the Eagles were defeated by Oklahoma State in an opening-round game, with Giacoletti hired March 30 by the Utes.

Whether Hayford’s in the running or not to try to add horsepower to a USF program with a proud history remains to be seen.

San Francisco would surely love to return to their glory days of the 1950s with back-to-back national championships (1955 and 1956) and three-straight Final Four appearances with the help of Wilt Chamberlin and K.C. Jones. But it’s a tall task in the West Coast Conference where St. Mary’s, Gonzaga and Brigham Young have run the show for years.

What’s really important here is isn’t it time that schools exercise some form of restraint in their hiring process for coaches of all kinds? But more importantly, the media needs to get over its addiction of the need to get it out first.