O'Hanlon interviews at Loyola

Penn assistant basketball coach Fran O'Hanlon visited Washington yesterday to meet with Loyola College athletic director Joseph Boylan about the Greyhounds' vacant head-coaching position, Penn coach Fran Dunphy confirmed yesterday. O'Hanlon, 45, is one of four to six candidates vying for the post. An announcement is expected late next week, Loyola sports information director Steve Jones said. "I know that Fran [O'Hanlon] is interested," Dunphy said yesterday. "I spoke with Joe [Boylan] about Fran a few days ago. I wish I could tell you he's getting the job tomorrow. I know that Fran's interested and I hope Loyola's interested in him?.I know he wants to be a head coach, and that's what he deserves." Boylan told The Baltimore Sun on Monday he spoke to "a couple of viable candidates" last weekend in Charlotte, N.C., during the Final Four. He added he planned to narrow his choices to a short list of serious prospects. O'Hanlon and Boylan were unavailable for comment. Dunphy has not considered a replacement yet for O'Hanlon in the event he does receive a head-coaching position and leave. "I'm hopeful that they do something soon for everyone's sake," Dunphy said. The Loyola coaching position became available after Skip Prosser left the Greyhounds following this season's 17-13 campaign to take the head post at Xavier, where he was an assistant coach from 1985-1993. Loyola made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance under Prosser last season. The Greyhounds were 2-25 during the 1992-93 campaign. Prosser's predecessor at Loyola was former Penn coach Tom Schneider. O'Hanlon is credited with having designed Penn's motion offense. The 1970 Villanova graduate just completed his fifth season as a Quaker assistant. Prior to accepting the Penn assistant coach position, O'Hanlon was head coach of Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill. He is in contention for the vacancy at Virginia Military Institute as well, Dunphy confirmed. O'Hanlon interviewed for that job while in Charlotte. VMI athletic director Davis Babb declined to confirm that O'Hanlon is still under consideration. He said VMI is still screening applicants and should make a decision in a week to 10 days. Joe Cantafio resigned as VMI coach to accept an offer with Furman after the Keydets' 5-22 campaign. O'Hanlon was a finalist for the job at Boston University, but BU Athletic Director Gary Strickler yesterday announced that the new Terrier head coach is Virginia assistant Dennis Wolff.