Former Dogs coach to lead Marshall

HUNTINGTON, W.V. - Clemson assistant Ron Jirsa was hired Monday as the men&#39;s basketball coach at Marshall. <br> <br> Jirsa, who replaced Tubby Smith at Georgia in 1997, succeeds Greg White, who left Marshall on June 3 to become coach at the University of Charleston, a Division II school. <br> <br> Jirsa went 35-30 in two seasons at Georgia after replacing Smith, but was fired in 1999 and replaced by Jim Harrick. Smith is the coach of Kentucky, and Harrick resigned as coach at Georgia in March. <br> <br> Jirsa, an assistant to Oliver Purnell at Dayton from 1999-2003, was a candidate for the Flyers&#39; coaching spot. When Dayton hired Brian Gregory, Jirsa followed Purnell to Clemson. <br> <br> ``When you&#39;re a candidate for several jobs ... the most important thing is to find a place where you can win a championship,&#39;&#39; Jirsa said. ``Marshall has the tradition and facilities to do that. Those are the types of places I am interested in.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Jirsa&#39;s contract is a four-year deal with a base salary of $130,000. <br> <br> White did not receive a contract extension after the Thundering Herd finished 14-15 this season. He had a record of 115-84 at Marshall, but was 29-30 the last two seasons.

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