Coach Ed DeChellis has an embrace for Jamelle Cornley after Penn State's 69-63 victory over Baylor in the NIT final last night at Madison Square Garden.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
NCAA notebook
Chambers could be the choice at BU
Coach Ed DeChellis has an embrace for Jamelle Cornley after Penn State's 69-63 victory over Baylor in the NIT final last night at Madison Square Garden.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
DETROIT - Boston University officials are waiting to see how Villanova fares in tomorrow night's Final Four semifinal against North Carolina before they make a decision on their next basketball coach.
Tennessee associate head coach Tony Jones remains the top choice to replace the fired Dennis Wolff, but if Villanova can pull off another miracle weekend and win the national championship, or even get to the final, Wildcats associate head coach Pat Chambers could become a serious contender.
According to sources at Villanova, Chambers met with BU officials last weekend when the Wildcats were in Boston for the East Regional. The talks were very preliminary, but open-ended.
Nothing more will be done regarding Chambers, who joined Jay Wright's staff in 2004 as director of basketball operations before becoming an assistant coach in 2005 and associate head coach last fall, until Villanova finishes its season.
In the next few days, BU officials will check their list of names one final time. Jones remains the front-runner, but according to sources at BU, the deal will not be done until early next week, with Chambers still a possibility.
Floyd stays at USC
Tim Floyd will stay on as Southern California coach, spurning an offer yesterday to become coach at Arizona.He was offered the job Wednesday to replace interim coach Russ Pennell, who took over when Hall of Famer Lute Olson retired for health reasons before the season.
"I listened, I heard what they had to say," Floyd said at a campus news conference in Los Angeles. "But there is something really special about building your own traditions and your own history. This will be the last time I look unless the administration gets tired of me."
Floyd visited Tucson Wednesday and returned the same night.
Penn State wins NIT
Penn State turned the NIT championship game into a party, and several thousand Nittany Lions fans sure seemed like the hosts.Jamelle Cornley scored 18 points and the Nittany Lions used a big second half to beat Baylor, 69-63, last night at Madison Square Garden for just the second postseason tournament championship in school history.
Super sophomore Talor Battle added 12 points, all in the second half, for the Nittany Lions (27-11), who were spurred on by raucous chants of "We are . . . Penn State," led by Joe Paterno, the 82-year-old football coach.
LaceDarius Dunn scored 18 points to lead Baylor (24-15).
Getting reacquainted
High school reunion, Final Four style? Something like that will happen when Villanova faces North Carolina at Ford Field and Tar Heels guard Ty Lawson goes against Wildcats guard Scottie Reynolds and forward Dwayne Anderson.The three played with and against each other in the Northern Virginia-Maryland area in high school and AAU ball.
"Ty is a cool dude," said Reynolds yesterday. "We get along great. We were roommates I think two summers ago at the LeBron James camp. We played against each other in AAU and in high school. We have matched up against each other, we've played against each other, and we have worked out with each other."
Anderson said he sent Lawson some text messages.
"The first thing he said to me when he texted me was, 'You know we're going to beat you,' " said Anderson. "So of course, I responded by saying, 'You better get your ankles taped twice because of the foot injury and all.' We've known each other forever and are friends. But as soon as we step on the floor, we will be enemies. It should be interesting."
Brand battles on
NCAA president Myles Brand, who is battling pancreatic cancer, gave his annual State of the NCAA speech and addressed his health issues. "The work is actually pulling me through," said Brand. "I've slowed down. I haven't been traveling very much at all. But it's been a challenge. But the work has made it a lot more bearable." . . . Lawson caused a mini-uproar when he said he had won $250 gambling at a casino in the Greektown section of Detroit. The NCAA has taken a strong anti-gambling stance, one reason Detroit as a Final Four site was a hard sell to some NCAA officials. Lawson also conceded he had won money in Reno gambling during the season. North Carolina's response was that Lawson was an adult and had broken no laws or team rules, and was entitled to spend his free time any way he chose . . . Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl has a newly renegotiated six-year contract. It came hours after reports surfaced that Memphis wanted to talk to Pearl about replacing John Calipari, who left for Kentucky. Former Rhode Island star Lazare Adingono resigned as assistant coach at Canisius, two months after being arrested on charges of using a belt to beat his 4-year-old son . . . Georgia has hired Nevada coach Mark Fox to replace Dennis Felton, a person with knowledge of the hire confirmed to the Associated Press last night. Fox led Nevada to a 21-13 record this season . . . Brad Stevens agreed to a one-year extension to remain Butler's coach through 2015-16.Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. 
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