NORMAL - Mark Kingston's dream of becoming a head coach will have to wait another year.

He's not complaining one bit.

Kingston and ISU have agreed in principle on a contract that will bring the Tulane associate head coach back to Normal for one season as Coach Jim Brownlee's top assistant. A Redbird assistant in 1999, Kingston will then take over as head coach when Brownlee retires after the 2009 season.

"It's been a goal since the day I got into coaching to be the head coach of an outstanding baseball program. I'm glad my hard work and dedication has paid off and will allow me to be named the next head coach at Illinois State," Kingston said Thursday. "When I came for my interview I was encouraged how far Illinois State has come (since 1999) and with the new facility I'm encouraged how they are moving forward."

Kingston has spent the past seven seasons as Tulane's recruiting coordinator and the last five seasons as the Green Wave's associate head coach. He has coached 17 draft picks, including first rounders Michael Aubrey and Brian Bogusevic.

"I'm coming from a good situation. I had great support, a great head coach and a chance to be in Omaha (for the College World Series) next year," said Kingston, who helped Tulane to a 39-22-1 record and an NCAA Tournament berth this past season. "For me to leave was not an easy decision. The fact ISU is committed to build a brand new facility was a huge piece of the puzzle. As a coach, that showed me they want to make a significant commitment to where the baseball program is headed."

ISU is in the beginning stages of building a $3 million stadium at Duffy Bass Field that is expected to be ready for play next spring.

Brownlee announced in late May the 2009 season would be his last. He will retire after 30 seasons as a head coach, the last seven coming at ISU.

"I respect everything Coach Brownlee has done and what he's meant to college baseball," Kingston said. "My goal is to make sure his last year at Illinois State goes as smoothly and as well as humanly possible. I want him to go out on a great note. He deserves it. From there, I will slowly take over."

Kingston likes his teams to be "very aggressive on the basepaths and have a balance between offense and the pitching staff. At the end of the day, I want people to say 'that was one heck of a team, they did it the right way and they're also great members of the community.' "

A 1995 graduate of North Carolina, Kingston helped the Tar Heels advance to the 1989 College World Series as a freshman. He played five seasons of minor league baseball and advanced as high as the Class AA level.

In Kingston's one season at ISU, the Redbirds set school records for wins, runs scored and RBIs while 14 ISU hitters hit .300 or better with Jeff Stewart as head coach.

Kingston and his wife, Letitia, have three children: Kailyn, 6, Cameron, 4, and Kathryn, 1.

An official announcement of Kingston's hiring is expected in early August.