After a drawn-out interview and negotiation process, Fran Dunphy has accepted an offer from Temple and will be formally introduced as the next head coach of men’s basketball at the school at a press conference at 3:00 pm on Monday afternoon. Dunphy, who leaves Penn as the all-time winningest coach in school history (310-163 in 17 seasons), now faces the tough task of succeeding a legend in Hall of Fame coach John Chaney. Temple was an NCAA Touranment mainstay and national power for much of Chaney’s tenure, but has settled for NIT bids each of the past five seasons, so Dunphy will be charged with restoring the program to Top 25 status. Multiple sources close to the program said yesterday that longtime Dunphy assistant Dave Duke — and possibly 2000 Penn graduate and current assistant Matt Langel — were expected to migrate to Temple along with Dunphy. Meanwhile, Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky isn’t wasting any time looking for a successor. The formal search process reportedly began late last week, and sources at other schools said Bilsky had requested permission to speak with potential replacements even prior to that.

Sources close to both schools have confirmed Penn coach Fran Dunphy has been offered the head coaching job at Temple. The long-awaited news comes after a protracted search that began when Hall of Fame coach John Chaney announced his retirement at a press conference back on March 13. Dunphy was immediately identified as the leading candidate for the job because of his relationship with Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw and his impressive track record at Penn. However, Temple interviewed a number of other candidates who had garnered support from factions of boosters, and the hiring decision had to be vetted by the Temple board and president. Temple held its season-end basketball banquet on Friday night, and Penn’s banquet will take place on Sunday, so nothing will be announced formally before Monday.