Don't hold your breath on Jerome Allen report

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As my colleague Zach Klitzman wrote earlier today, Adam Zagoria  reported on his blog that "Penn interim head coach Jerome Allen will officially be named the program’s full-time coach before the Final Four, sources close to the program said."

If you ask me, it's way too early to accept that.

I just talked to the Athletic Department and am awaiting an official statement, but to me this seems like an extremely premature and questionable report. I want to be clear that I am not questioning Zagoria's legitimacy or responsibility as a journalist, but without knowing his sources I'll say from what I do know that in this case it seems like the best information he could have is that Penn decided it WANTS Jerome Allen back but hasn't finalized anything.

That is the farthest they could possibly be in the process right now. They need to agree to a contract before they can make an announcement, and I highly doubt they've been negotiating contracts as Allen tries to wrap up this season with a strong finish. Yes, Allen and Steve Bilsky could have verbally agreed that they both want this to be the situation. Yes, Bilsky could have decided that his timetable is the Final Four. He may have even decided not to bother with interviewing other candidates (although Zagoria's trustworthy inside source merely said they "might" not interview outside candidates). All of those things could definitely be — and based on Zagoria's report probably are — true. But you cannot jump from that to a definitive statement that Allen will be the guy.

To think for one second that this is set in stone right now would be irresponsible. Not only is the contract not finalized, and probably not even past the initial negotiation stages, but it would be disadvantageous for Bilsky to say anything publicly until it's final. That's why I don't think he will end up releasing any sort of press release today in response to Zagoria's report.

All that said, today's events definitely mean that, in all likelihood, Jerome Allen will be your new full-time Penn men's basketball coach. Just don't count that chicken until it hatches.