CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The DePaul coaching job is “Ben Howland’s to turn down,” one source close to the situation told SNY.tv.
A second source described the Big East school as “very interested” in the 57-year-old Howland, who is expected to interview for the job.
Howland spent this past year as an analyst with Fox Sports 1 after getting fired by UCLA in 2013.
Howland led UCLA to three straight Final Fours from 2006-8 and has been linked to various jobs since leaving the school. He was in the mix last year for the openings at Oregon State, Marquette, Tennessee and Missouri, but did not land any of those jobs.
Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew, La Salle coach Dr. John Giannini, Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley, Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Brian Wardle and Manhattan coach Steve Masiello have also been linked to the DePaul job, which came open when Oliver Purnell was fired last week.
Hurley’s Buffalo team meets West Virginia on Friday, and his star figures to continue to ascend if he wins that game. Buffalo is also working on a contract extension for Hurley, who has only been a head coach for two years.
Meantime, St. Benedict’s Prep guard Eli Cain had committed to Purnell just before he was fired and his status remains in limbo.
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