MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- John Beilein is West Virginia's fourth basketball coach since February and the second in the last week.

Beilein, who coached at Richmond the last five seasons, took the West Virginia job on Thursday, six days after the school's second choice, Dan Dakich, abruptly resigned.

"I have had a competitive drive since I began coaching to try to coach at the very highest collegiate level," Beilein said Thursday during a news conference outside Richmond's Robins Center. "I have an opportunity to rebuild a program that I think has tremendous potential, and I've chosen to do that."

So did Dakich, who left Bowling Green to take the West Virginia job on April 4, only to resign on April 12 over a possible rules violation he uncovered.

Beilein, who said he did not solicit the job and was only contacted by West Virginia on Wednesday, said the decision to move to the Big East Conference was attractive even if the Mountaineers might face NCAA sanctions.

"That just makes me more competitive," Beilein said. "That's what makes me tick, I think."

At a news conference in Morgantown on Thursday night, Beilein said, "I know we have a tremendous challenge in front of us, and it's going to take a great deal of courage to get through this. We need everyone to be patient."

Jonathan Hargett, a freshman point guard who has acknowledged he is target of the investigation into the possible violation, said he's also not worried.

"I know I haven't done anything wrong," Hargett said. Of Beilein, he said, "He's a great coach, and he can relate to his players."

Beilein met with his new players for the first time just before the news conference, which most of the players attended.

"They won't be told they're bad kids who need to shape up. They'll be told about their potential," he said. "I don't think about problems, I think about solutions."

Beilein was 100-53 in his five seasons at Richmond, with the Spiders going 22-14 this season.

West Virginia was 8-20 last season, the worst record in school history, including 1-15 in the Big East. Gale Catlett retired on Feb. 14 after 24 seasons and a school-record 565 victories. He was replaced on an interim basis by Drew Catlett, his assistant and nephew.

In his final season, Catlett earned $300,000 per season. the 49-year-old Beilein's five-year deal is for $550,000 per season, about $150,000 more than what Dakich, who has returned to Bowling Green, was offered. The contract includes a $150,000 base salary and $400,000 in guaranteed promotional income from Mountaineer Athletic Club appearances, radio, television, Internet and endorsements.

He will have an opportunity to earn another $175,000 from summer camps and incentives based on team grade point averages, tournament appearances, ticket sales and Big East championships.

"I have a lot of respect for West Virginia, the tradition of the program and Gale Catlett," Beilein said. "He was a tremendous coach who had a fabulous record at WVU."

The school originally offered the job to Cincinnati's Bob Huggins, a West Virginian who played for the Mountaineers, but he turned it down.

Beilien, who coached at Canisius for five seasons before moving to Richmond, was a serious candidate for jobs at Wake Forest and Rutgers a year ago. He was given a contract extension through 2008 after he pulled his name from consideration for the Rutgers job.

Beilein's son, Patrick, was a schoolboy star in Richmond and was expected to enroll at Richmond for next season. He did not sign a letter of intent with Richmond because Beilein was prepared to pay his son's way since the school allows employees' children to attend tuition-free.

Beilein, who said he now expects his son to play at West Virginia, is bringing all three of his assistants with him. He said his team's style would be aggressive and fast-moving, with shifting defenses and an emphasis on 3-point shots.