Reno, Nev. ? Mark Fox is not interested in leaving Nevada for Nebraska.

Nevada announced over the weekend that men’s basketball coach Fox had withdrawn from consideration for the Cornhusker coaching job.

Fox had been mentioned as perhaps the top candidate to replace Barry Collier.

According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, he had a casual meeting with Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson at a dinner Thursday in Los Angeles.

“The University of Nebraska is an outstanding university in a terrific conference, and Steve Pederson is an impressive athletic leader,” Fox said in a statement released by Nevada. “But the University of Nevada is also a special place, and I am very happy as Nevada’s head coach.”

The statement also said Fox, athletic director Cary Groth and university president Milton Glick wouldn’t be available for further comment until today.

The father of standout player Nick Fazekas was glad to hear the news and said his son would be ecstatic about it, too.

“It’s nice to hear that (Fox withdrew at Nebraska),” said Joe Fazekas. “That’s a relief. Nick will be pleased. Nick made a joke that if Mark left, he would burn his house down. It means a lot to their team unity and stuff. There is going to be no disarray. Everybody is going to be on the same page. It’s going to mean a lot.”

Nevada went 27-6 and reached the NCAAs for the third season in a row last year and will return four starters from last season’s team.

Fox met with Glick on Friday night, according to the statement, and informed school officials that he was staying at the university.

“Cary and I both felt that was important for the continued success of the Nevada basketball program that we kept Mark Fox as our head coach,” Glick said in the university’s statement. “We let him know how much we appreciate him and believe in the importance of his long-term leadership at the University of Nevada. We are very pleased with his decision and commitment to Nevada and look forward to watching his continued accomplishments for many years to come.”

Fox, who came to Nevada as an assistant coach in 2000 and became the Pack’s head coach in 2004, has a 52-13 record in two seasons, including two NCAA Tournament berths.

Fox, 37, signed a five-year contract with Nevada that has a $400,000 salary the first season and annual raises of $25,000. The deal also contained a clause for a $250,000 buyout.

There has been recent speculation at NU about Kent State coach Jim Christian, as well as South Alabama coach John Pelphrey, George Washington’s Karl Hobbs and UTEP’s Doc Sadler.

The Lincoln Journal Star has reported the school has received permission to talk to Hobbs, Pelphrey and Sadler.

South Alabama athletic director Joe Gottfried told the Mobile (Ala.) Press Register he had given his 38-year-old coach the OK to talk to NU. Pelphrey, who in his fourth season with the Jaguars led them to a 24-7 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998, is on vacation.