The University of Missouri’s athletic director says basketball coach Frank Haith has taken the job of head coach at Tulsa and will be announced in a news conference at 1.

Mike Alden says Haith informed him of his decision in a text message this morning. MU assistant Tim Fuller will serve as interim coach but Alden hasn’t revealed candidates for a permanent replacement.

Haith was due to make $1.7-million for the 2013-14 season. His contract at MU was to have run through the 2016-17 season, and he will owe the University $500,000 for terminating that deal early.

ESPN reports Haith has been given a seven-year contract at Tulsa that will pay an average of $1.85-million a year. Haith also told ESPN he would take his Missouri staff with him, though one assistant was said to be pursuing another job and so might not go to Tulsa.

Haith tells ESPN he was attracted in part by the fact that the national champion came out of the American Athletic Conference, where Tulsa is moving next season.

“This has been a great basketball job at Tulsa with a great tradition with Tubby Smith, Nolan Richardson and most recently with Danny Manning,” Haith told ESPN. “There is great leadership here at Tulsa and they are showing a great commitment.”

This will be the third time Haith has guided a team through transition between conferences, first when the University of Miami moved from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference and then when the Tigers went from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference.