AP source: CSU, Eustachy agree to deal

Larry Eustachy is set to take over as Colorado State's basketball coach, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, because the deal is only agreed upon and not finalized.

The embattled coach takes over for Tim Miles, who left for Nebraska last month after leading the Rams to the NCAA tournament.

Eustachy is coming off a season in which he guided Southern Mississippi to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991.

It's been a long road for Eustachy, who has rebuilt and restored his career in eight seasons at Southern Miss. Eustachy was a coach at Iowa State over a decade ago before his dramatic downfall. He resigned in 2003 shortly after photos of him partying with students surfaced.

Eustachy went through rehabilitation to treat alcoholism and was given a second chance at Southern Miss, where he steadily built the program into a Conference USA contender by providing a home for castoffs from other programs and junior college transfers.

He inherits a Rams program that's rapidly on the rise, improving in each of Miles' five seasons in charge. CSU went from a 7-25 in Miles' first year to 20-12 last season. The Rams were bumped from the tournament by Murray State in their tournament opener.

The 56-year-old Eustachy was once viewed as one of the best young coaches in the country. He took Iowa State to the final eight in 2000 and was selected the AP Coach of the Year.