Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin will hold a press conference today to introduce former West Virginia coach John Beilein as the new Michigan men's basketball coach.

The announcement will end the 17-day search by Martin and a four-person advisory committee that began after former coach Tommy Amaker was fired on March 17.

"I am very pleased to announce John Beilein as our new head coach for the men's basketball program," Martin said in a written statement. "He is an individual with a great knowledge of the game. He is a proven winner. He is an extraordinary teacher of the game. He is a great basketball coach."

In a somber afternoon meeting in Morgantown, W.Va. yesterday, Beilein told his former team about his decision to come to Ann Arbor, said a source who was at the meeting but asked to remain anonymous because he is not allowed to speak to the press.

The source said Beilein told his staff and players that money was not a factor in his decision, but Beilein didn't elaborate any further.

The same source said that Beilein was unsure of who will be on his coaching staff at Michigan. As of now, all of his assistants at West Virginia will remain employed there, the source said.

"This is an exciting opportunity for me and my family to join the University of Michigan basketball program," Beilein said in a written statement. "This is a great opportunity to build Michigan as one of the elite programs in the country."

At West Virgina, Beilein made a base salary of $740,000 with annual increases of $20,000 per year, according to The Associated Press. He had a provision in his contract that required a $2.5 million buyout should he leave for another school.

Beilein is expected to make $1.3 million per season, according to The Ann Arbor News. The six-year contract has a $200,000 annual base, with $1.1 million additional coming from other sources, such as television and radio appearances.

Beilein said he plans to meet with the 2007 recruiting class soon. The three incoming members - Alex Legion, Corperryale "Manny" Harris and Kelvin Grady - could potentially withdraw from their commitments, because Amaker recruited them.

Calls to Legion and Grady's cell phones were not immediately returned last night.