Well OU alum Matt Barnes of Channel 4 is certainly well connected and very loyal to the program, so he certainly must have some inside info. However, I certainly hope the "we are looking for someone with head coaching experience" isn't coming from the powers that be. If it is, it is silly at best presumptuous and near sighted at worst. If we use that criteria Roy Williams (who has national titles for God sakes) wouldn't be eligible. Dayton's Archie Miller just went on an Elite 8 run without head coaching experience.
As I indicated before, head coaching experience is relevant and Dustin Ford has done so at high school level, taking Jackson High School to levels never before seen in school history (at a place that is hardly a basketball power.) I hope when we mean head coaching experience we aren't ruling out Coach Ford. Being the captain of a ship, no matter how small still gives you experience, a lot more experience than some administrators watching the ships in the harbor from the safety of the Yacht Club.
Forgive me if I sound a little upset at all of this administration speak, but having coached at the high school level, there were a lot of blowhards out there pretending to know the ins and outs of coaching and setting up criteria and standards that they would never know. Again, I hope someone is feeding Matt Barnes the wrong info, for I would hate to think our powers that be are sounding the same as some of the blowhards about seventy miles northwest on Route 33.
No offense to Mr. Barnes or anyone talking about this as 'scoop'. (By the way I LOVE Bobcats in media in CBUS) But 'sources' are likely bobcatattack, someone who read/posts on bobcatattack, youtube, or any Ohio fan that watches youtube videos if you're talking about the 'prefer a head coach' comment. This stuff isn't secret at all that Schaus would prefer a current HC to someone with no head coaching track record. It certainly makes sense if you can pull it off to have someone with experience in the job you are hiring them to do. Just like you want an experienced surgeon with a decent track record to do your open heart surgery as opposed to the guy that will be opening you up for the first time fresh out of book learning - unless you have special reason to believe the outcome will be greater than the person that has already proven themselves.
On the flipside by doing this you may be passing up the next great one. But that is the risk/reward that Schaus has to consider.
This isn't to say that Dustin, Fife, Meyer, Boals, or another current assistant somewhere won't get a shot, it certainly may end up that the best candidate doesn't have head coaching experience. But I am putting that at as more of a long shot, and I don't agree that having Ohio ties should get you tons more consideration than the average candidate. Not even the Boals/Kuwik/Ford/etc will stick around when a double or triple in salary is offered. Can't blame any of them.
check about 15 seconds in for some insight on coaching preference/qualities
start here about 1:30 (although not hoops related)