Fran Dunphy will no longer be the head coach of Penn's men's basketball program, according to multiple sources.
Dunphy will be introduced as Temple's new coach at a press conference around 3 p.m. today, the sources said.
The 17-year Penn veteran will become the first ever head coach of two different Big 5 schools.
The announcement comes as no surprise to many close to the Penn program, especially after yesterday's emotional annual team banquet.
Not once did Dunphy specifically mention that he was leaving to coach the Owls -- which he referred to as the "2,000-pound elephant sitting in the back of the room" -- but he made many comments which heavily hinted at the fact that this would be the last time he would be speaking at the yearly event.
"Penn basketball was very successful before we got here. Penn basketball will be very successful after we're gone," he said.
He also talked about how the leadership of the rising senior class will take on a "whole new realm of importance" next season, hinting at the fact that Mark Zoller, Ibrahim Jaaber and Steve Danley will have to help out a new head coach.
Dunphy received several standing ovations at the affair, which was held at the Inn at Penn.
After the banquet, several people were in tears as Dunphy and his wife, Ree, said goodbye.
A source said that, as of last night, it was unclear if Dunphy had officially signed a contract with the North Philadelphia school. However, the source said that if a contract was not yet signed, it was due to the fact that both sides were still negotiating small details of the deal that would not cause Dunphy to go back on his decision to move schools.
Several sources close to the Penn team have said Dunphy attempted to call a meeting on Friday to speak with his players. But due to Spring Fling, that meeting never occurred.
These sources also said Dunphy met with a small group of players Saturday night to talk about the future of the program. They added that the entire team planned on meeting last night.
The players on Penn's team were unavailable to confirm whether such a meeting occurred.
Dunphy had been rumored as the leading candidate for the Temple job since Hall of Fame coach John Chaney retired on March 13.
Others considered for the position included Owls assistant Dan Leibovitz (a 1996 Penn graduate), former Temple guard Rick Brunson (currently a player on the NBA's Houston Rockets), former Owls assistant Dean Demopoulos (currently an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers), Drexel coach Bruiser Flint, new Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez and former USC coach Henry Bibby (currently an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers).
For Penn, the search now turns to replacing the coach who led the program to an unprecedented 10 Ivy League titles and 310 career victories.
Athletic director Steve Bilsky will likely interview Cornell coach Steve Donahue and Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon since both are former Penn assistants under Dunphy.
It's unclear whether either will be the Quakers' next head coach, however.
Donahue has only had limited success in his six years with the Big Red.
He has gone 58-105 in his tenure, including a 31-53 record in Ivy League games.
O'Hanlon has had a more impressive record in his 11 seasons at Lafayette, leading the team to three Patriot League titles. However, earlier this month the school's trustees approved athletic scholarships for the program. This may make the job with the Leopards more appealing than Penn's, which does not have scholarships.
Brown coach Glenn Miller is also rumored to be an early candidate for the job.
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