Penn assistant basketball coach Fran O'Hanlon will be the next coach at Lafayette, Leopards athletic director Eve Atkinson said yesterday. O'Hanlon replaces John Leone, who resigned in late February after 15 seasons with Lafayette, the last seven as head coach. O'Hanlon, 46, will be officially announced as the 21st coach in Leopards history Monday afternoon in Easton. He served six seasons as a Penn assistant, and he is credited with designing the offense that has led to 43 straight Ivy League victories for the Quakers. "Fran brings a rich basketball background to College Hill at all levels of play both home and abroad," Atkinson said in a statement. "Having worked at an Ivy League institution, Fran is well versed in the mission and importance of blending academics and athletics for today's student-athletes." Before his six seasons with the Quakers, O'Hanlon served as coach of Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hills. He is a 1970 Villanova graduate and captained the Wildcats his senior year, averaging 13.1 points per game for the team, which reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. "I'm thrilled to be coming to Lafayette," O'Hanlon said. "I'm looking forward to going there and getting to work." O'Hanlon interviewed for the head-coach position at Loyola (Md.) following last season and was under consideration for the job at Boston University as well. Penn beat Lafayette 92-57 in Easton Jan. 23, and the Quakers are 27-2 lifetime against the Leopards. Lafayette finished with a 2-25 record this season, and lost its last 22 games.
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