Fran Dunphy's successor will have a new title -- the John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men's Basketball.
That's because John "Rick" Rockwell, a 1964 Wharton graduate, has endowed the position, which was vacated when Dunphy left to become the head coach at Temple last week.
Penn would not speak on the matter, and Rockwell could not be reached for comment.
The endowment will be used to fund the basketball program and particularly the coach's salary.
This could be a useful tool for athletic director Steve Bilsky as he sets out to hire a new basketball coach, since he will likely have more money at his disposal to offer candidates.
Penn's football coach is also an endowed position: the George A. Munger Head Coach of Football.
This will make Penn the second Ivy League program to have an endowed basketball coach. Princeton established the Franklin C. Cappon-Edward G. Green '40 Head Coach of Basketball in 1984.
According to the Penn Web site, Rockwell serves on the University's board of overseers, specifically on the committee that focuses on the Department of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics.
He also serves as president of the Class of 1964 alumni association.
O'Hanlon says he's out
Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon says that he has pulled out of the Penn head coaching search, according to published reports.
O'Hanlon, who did not return calls for comment, was thought to be a frontrunner to replace his former boss, Fran Dunphy.
But he said that he is happy in Easton, particularly after university trustees approved scholarships for his basketball program earlier this year.
Jarvis on Bilsky
Mike Jarvis, the former St. John's coach who told The Daily Pennsylvanian earlier this week that he would be interested in the Penn job, shed some light on what it's like to interview with Bilsky for a men's basketball head coaching job.
When Bilsky was athletic director at George Washington, he hired Jarvis in 1990. That was the last time Bilsky hired a head men's basketball coach.
"He understands the value of a person who is a teacher," Jarvis said. "Fran Dunphy was a great coach because he's a great teacher. And I know he'll look for guy to replace him who can teach.
"Steve wants to win," he added. "He really believes that if he gets the right people in place, they can be very successful -- not just make the [NCAA] Tournament, but win a game."
While Jarvis has not been contacted for an interview yet, he said that he would enjoy the opportunity to work under Bilsky again.
"He's a rare breed today in athletics in the sense that he's a person who played the sport," he said. "He knows what it's like to be a player; he knows what it's like to be a coach, in an era when athletic directors are just businessmen and fundraisers."
Meanwhile, at Penn
While Dunphy is no longer working on Penn's campus, Dave Duke and the other assistant coaches are continuing the team's regular spring schedule.
They are holding four-man workouts with players and have instituted a weight-training regimen.
Duke says that he has talked with Bilsky about taking over the head coaching job and hopes to hear from him later this week about a follow-up interview.
Sources close to the program say that Cornell coach Steve Donahue and Lehigh coach Billy Taylor are among those who have also interviewed for the job.
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