The search continues for the next head coach of the Penn women's basketball team, and in the last week things have become clearer as to the direction in which the search is heading.
At this point, the leading candidate for the job appears to be current Penn assistant coach Joe McGeever.
McGeever was in Chicago on Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
The Penn Athletic Department would not comment publicly for this article, citing a policy of not commenting about speculation over possible head coaches.
However, multiple sources have told the Daily Pennsylvanian that McGeever would be interviewed soon, possibly this week.
Also, it is understood that he has the support of a number of observers of the hiring process in many different areas relating to the team.
Choosing McGeever would be a vote for continuity in the program, especially with the short amount of time that remains before the start of the academic year.
McGeever is also familiar with the complex recruiting rules of the Ivy League, and has done quite a bit of legwork in bringing players to Penn during his five-year tenure as a Quakers assistant.
Last week, McGeever was in Portland, Ore., recruiting.July is the peak of high school recruiting season, which has hampered Penn's ability to reach coaches as they travel the country in search of new players.
He was the head coach of Archbishop Wood High School, of the Philadelphia Catholic League, from 1982 to 1988, and was an assistant coach at Towson State from 1988 to 1996.
McGeever also spent 16 years in the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, where he got to know many area high school and AAU coaches.
Some potential candidates for the job from outside the program emerged in Thursday's edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
One possibility is Bowdoin College coach Stephanie Pemper.
She was an assistant coach at Harvard when the Crimson won three straight Ivy League titles from 1995-98, and led Bowdoin to a 30-1 record and the Division III national championship game last season.
When asked in an interview if she was interested in the Penn job, Pemper demurred for a moment, then said, "I don't know."
When asked if she was surprised that she was being considered, Pemper, said, "I have some experience in the Ivy League, and obviously at Bowdoin, experience coaching in non-scholarship basketball, intelligent young women. So I guess I'm not surprised."
Also on the list of potential candidates are Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Sacca-Fabbri and George Washington University assistant coach Lisa Cermignano.
Cermignano was the 1993 New Jersey Player of the Year at Gloucester Catholic High School, and was a freshman on the Colonials when current Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky had the same role at GW.
Attempts to reach Sacca-Fabri and Cermignano were not successful.
Big 5 Notes: One candidate whose name came up as a possibility in the immediate aftermath of Kelly Greenberg's departure from Penn was Cheryl Reeve. She is a longtime friend of Greenberg and fellow La Salle graduate who now serves as an assistant coach with the WNBA's Charlotte Sting.
The Daily Pennsylvanian has learned that she was never actually considered for the Penn job.
The turmoil at her alma mater may be a different story, however. Explorers women's coach John Miller's future is in some doubt due to the sexual assault investigation on campus.
If he does depart, Reeve may become a leading candidate for that job.
Another possibility for La Salle is Mike McLaughlin, who is currently the head coach of Division II Holy Family University in Northeast Philadelphia.
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