Dunphy meets with Temple about opening

According to published reports, Penn coach Fran Dunphy may have already interviewed to become the next head coach at Temple University.

An unnamed source told the Philadelphia Daily News that Dunphy met with officials from the North Philadelphia school on Tuesday.

Dunphy refuses to talk to The Daily Pennsylvanian, or any other news source, about the situation.

Drexel has also given Temple permission to speak with its basketball coach, Bruiser Flint.

Several reports say that Drexel athletic director Eric Zillmer was contacted on Tuesday by the search committee charged with replacing Hall of Fame Owls coach John Chaney.

Drexel's assistant athletic director for communications, Mike Tuberosa, would not confirm these reports; he said that all discussions between Flint, Zillmer and Temple are a private matter.

The Daily News also reports that former Temple guard Rick Brunson has been contacted for an interview and could meet with the search committee as early as tomorrow.

Brunson, 33, is currently a player for the NBA's Houston Rockets. He has no prior coaching experience.

Still, he is considered one of the favorites for the Temple job because he has the backing of Chaney as well as his former Owls teammates Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie. Jones and McKie also play in the NBA.

Brunson has had plenty of experience watching basketball games from a coach's perspective on the bench this season.

He has only appeared in 13 games, averaging 2.2 points in 9.9 minutes.

The final candidate considered to be in the running for the Temple job is the Owls' top assistant coach Dan Leibovitz.

Leibovitz, a 1996 Penn graduate, has spent the past nine seasons at Chaney's side, making him one of the longest-serving active assistants in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

He is expected to meet with Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw sometime this week.

Should Dunphy leave Penn, top replacement candidates include Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon and Cornell coach Steve Donahue -- both former Quakers assistants.

Brown coach Glen Miller has also been rumored as a possible replacement due to his ability to compete with the Ivy League's top programs -- Penn and Princeton -- each year despite having fewer resources.

Siena coach Fran McCaffery, a former Penn assistant and player, was also rumored to be a candidate for Dunphy's job, should Dunphy leave.

But McCaffery has said he will sign a long term contract with the Saints sometime this week.

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