As the number of teams has dwindled in the NCAA Tournament, more and more candidates for the Penn State men's basketball coaching opening have emerged.

Following the resignation of Jerry Dunn last Monday, a pool of names appeared and has only grown since then.

The reported candidates include former UCLA coach Steve Lavin, St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, East Tennessee State's Ed DeChellis, Pennsylvania's Fran Dunphy, Manhattan's Bobby Gonzalez, Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski and former Atlanta Hawks coach Lon Kruger.

Kruger, a former Illinois men's basketball coach from 1996-2000, said that he has no interest in the opening and hasn't been contacted by Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley or anyone else at Penn State.

"There are always inquiries about me as a possible coach," Kruger said. "And I'm pretty open-minded. But I'm not interested in Penn State."

According to a story by the Philadelphia Daily News, Curley contacted Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky about the coaching services of Dunphy.

Bilsky granted Curley the right to speak with Dunphy, and an interview has been scheduled for later in the week.

Dunphy has been contacted as a possible candidate in past years by California and LaSalle.

He was not available for comment.

Reports indicate that Curley will also meet with DeChellis.

DeChellis, a former Lion assistant, took his Buccaneers team to the NCAA tournament where they lost a close game to Wake Forest in Tampa, Fla.

As of this time, it appears that Martelli and Gonzalez are unlikely choices for the job. Both of the coaches' athletic directors said Penn State has not contacted them about either coach.

Don DiJulia, St. Joseph's athletic director, has said that any requests from Penn State regarding Martelli would be granted, but none have taken place.

"Right now, anything with coach Martelli leaving for Penn State is purely hypothetical," DiJulia said.

Gonzalez's boss, Bob Byrnes, has a similar message, but is also resigned to the fact that the 37-year-old, one of the game's hottest coaching prospects, will leave at some point.

"There has been no contact between us and Penn State," Byrnes said.

"However, I hired Bobby with the idea that he would have success and look to move on. In this sport, you can double or triple your salary in one move."

With a loss on Friday to Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Manhattan ended its MAAC championship season with a record of 23-7.

The Jaspers are a young team and will lose only three seniors to graduation.

Returning for Gonzalez includes standout junior guard Luis Flores, who averaged 24.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Byrnes said he expects Gonzalez to at least stay through next season before looking at the possibilities.

The search will likely not be decided, until there is only one team left standing in the tournament.