03/13 at 12:50 AM

For moments, when he contemplated the future of Auburn’s basketball program, Jay Jacobs pretended that the big, new, $92.5 million arena sitting outside his window was a mirage.

With or without the biggest symbol of optimism on Auburn’s campus, Jacobs concluded the future of Auburn’s basketball program with Jeff Lebo at the helm was cloudy. The commitment he made to the new building, Jacobs said, had to be matched in his actual commitment to the team that will be playing inside it.

Jacobs’ thought process kept coming back to wins and losses — something Lebo didn’t exactly have in his favor after six years on the job.

“Our No. 1 goal is to win, and we have to win ballgames,” Jacobs said. “I believe that all of our teams should be able to compete for championships, and I believe we have a great opportunity.”

With that in mind, Jacobs fired Lebo on Friday afternoon — less than 24 hours after the Tigers wrapped up another disappointing season with a first-round SEC Tournament loss to Florida.

A search will commence immediately, Jacobs said, though it is expected to drag out much longer than the 10 days it took to hire football coach Gene Chizik. The slightly relaxed pressure that comes with a basketball search because of its minimal effect on recruiting classes, combined with the upcoming NCAA Tournament, will likely make the length of this search a matter of weeks instead of days.

“I’m looking for the best guy for (the players),” Jacobs said. “An Auburn man that is the right fit for those current players and those signees that we have that represent them, represent this athletic department, represent the university and the Auburn family.”

Jacobs said he is already working with a short list of candidates, though he wouldn’t share any names. He said he was uncertain if Auburn would request the aid of a search firm, something the Tigers did for their previously vacant football and baseball coaching positions.

Senior associate athletics director Bernard Hill, who has supervised the men’s basketball team for the past year, will oversee the program in the meantime, Jacobs said. Hill will meet soon with Lebo’s former assistants, who may receive the option to continue working before a new coach is hired.

Jacobs said he’s not pigeon-holing the search to just current college head coaches, which opens the door for up-and-coming assistants or coaches from the professional level.

Early potential candidates include UTEP’s Tony Barbee, Miami’s Frank Haith, UAB’s Mike Davis and Auburn legend Chuck Person, who currently serves as a special assistant on the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We’re going to find the right fit,” Jacobs said. “The right guy that will represent these guys that we have here and these signees and gives us the best chance to compete.”

Lebo’s teams were certainly competitive during his six-year run, but consistent winning was a rarity. The Tigers managed just two winning seasons — one in the SEC — bowed out of the SEC Tournament after the first round in four of the past six years, reached the postseason just once and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

Lebo, who came to Auburn after a combined six years at Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech, finished with a 96-93 overall record, while winning just 36 percent (35-61) of his regular-season conference games.

Only two coaches — Joel Eaves and Ralph “Shug” Jordan — have finished their Auburn careers with winning records against SEC opponents.

“I just believe we can win championships,” Jacobs said. “I believe we ought to be playing for championships and it doesn’t matter to me what the sport is. I believe we better be playing for championships and graduating our student-athletes. I believe that’s what the Auburn people expect and me being one of them, I expect that.”

Jacobs met with Lebo around noon Friday. His decision to fire Lebo was already made, but Jacobs “wanted to give him an opportunity to visit a little bit.”

Jacobs and Hill met with the team at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum around 2:30 p.m. to deliver the news and address any questions and concerns.

Players left the arena with the topic fresh on their minds, many of them discussing the future amongst themselves or calling others on their cell phones to spread the news.

“I’m (going to) miss my coach Jeff Lebo. Thank (you) for everything,” former point guard DeWayne Reed wrote on his Facebook page.

“It’s just a tough day,” said women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner, who, like Lebo, was hired in 2004 by acting athletic director Hal Baird.

“He just had some tough breaks along the way with injuries. It’s just a sad day because he’s a great coach.”

Lebo won’t go away from Auburn empty-handed. His contract, which runs through 2013, stipulates that he receive $500,000 per year through the end of the deal.

Lebo made $785,000 annually, ranking him at the bottom among SEC coaches.

Jacobs said Auburn plans to be “more competitive” in the SEC market.

“The key is the right fit and certainly the Auburn traditions and the values of Auburn are important,” Jacobs said. “But the No. 1 goal is to win.”

| 737-2561