STATE COLLEGE, PA. (AP) - Penn State’s search to replace former basketball coach Ed DeChellis is apparently down to one candidate in Boston University’s Pat Chambers.
Milwaukee’s Rob Jeter on Friday issued a statement saying he listened to the Nittany Lions but was excited about coaching the Panthers next season. Duquesne’s Ron Everhart withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday night after interviewing earlier this week.
That leaves Chambers, the former Villanova assistant who led Boston to its first America East title and NCAA tournament in nine seasons this past spring. The Terriers lost in the second round to Kansas.
Multiple sources familiar with the search told the AP on Friday afternoon that the school was negotiating with Chambers. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for Penn State.
A BU spokesman Friday declined comment, and messages left for Chambers by the AP were not immediately returned.
In a statement Friday afternoon issued through a Milwaukee team spokesman, Jeter said he listened “to what they had to say. But ultimately I continue to be very excited to be here in Milwaukee coaching my guys next season.”
Born in Pittsburgh, Jeter has Big Ten ties as a former assistant to Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. He has a 101-88 record in six seasons at Milwaukee, a Horizon League school.
Chambers last month signed an extension that would keep him at Boston through 2015-16. He has a 42-28 record since joining the Terriers in 2009, becoming the first coach at the school to have 20-win seasons in his first years on the job.
Boston won its conference with a roster that had just one senior and three players total returning from the previous season. He’s known for implementing an uptempo offense while keeping a focus on defense. Boston this past season was ranked 23rd in the nation in field goal defense at 39.9 percent.
But the Big Ten will be a step up in competition. Penn State might be a power conference program, but it has historically struggled to string together consecutive winning seasons and attract top recruits.
Chambers is from the Philaelphia suburb of Radnor, and his ties in the fertile Philadelphia area could help. He joined Wright’s staff at Villanova in 2004 as director of operations before becoming an assistant the following season, then became associate head coach in 2008.
He also played college ball under Philadelphia University coach Herb Magee, who is part of this year’s class at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Chambers served as an assistant at his alma mater from 2001-04 under Magee.
DeChellis stepped down last week following eight seasons at his alma mater to move to Navy. The move caught athletic director Tim Curley by surprise, especially coming two months following the Nittany Lions’ first NCAA appearance in a decade, a second-round, 66-64 loss to Temple.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.