According to a Penn State Athletic Department official, a coach hired by Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland last Friday, in the role of temporary assistant coach, was hired without a background check and possibly no reference check.

Assistant Athletic Director Jennifer James said herself and Athletic Director Tim Curley approved Portland's hiring of Joanie O'Brien, but no background check was made before the hire. She couldn't say for certain whether a reference check was done.

In accordance with Penn State Policy HR-96, employment for all final candidates for "other-than-academic appointments" is contingent upon a background check by an outside vendor.

According to HR-96, a background check would have searched for past criminal activities, while a reference check would have included "past contacts to evaluate past performance, issues of character and integrity, and whether the candidate has the appropriate qualities for the position."

Penn State spokesman Tyson Kendig declined to comment on specifics regarding the hiring, deferring questions to the athletic department. However, he did say his understanding is Penn State is required to run a background check of all potential employees. He said reference checks are at the discretion of the hiring unit.

"The policy is, before being hired, all prospective job candidates at the university must undergo a background check," Kendig said.

O'Brien was hired to fill the void left by assistant coach Keila Whittington, who has been missing from Penn State's bench since she underwent back surgery earlier this year. It is hoped the addition of O'Brien, a former Lady Lion standout, will help balance the responsibilities of the coaching staff.

O'Brien twice served as an assistant coach of women's basketball at Auburn. Sandwiched between her Auburn years, O'Brien spent 11 years as the head coach of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst women's basketball team. In that time, O'Brien compiled a 159-159 record and led her team to the NCAA Tournament twice and the Women's National Invitation Tournament once.

The last half of O'Brien's stay at UMass was surrounded by controversy. In October of 1998, three former UMass women's basketball players sued the university, alleging O'Brien physically and verbally abused them. According to

an article that appeared in a 2000 issue of the Boston Globe Magazine, the lawsuit alleged "patterns of physical abuse by O'Brien, such as grabbing players by the jersey and pulling them, pushing and shoving them, or 'punching them with her closed fist.' "

O'Brien has since been cleared of all allegations, and the civil lawsuit was withdrawn.

Before yesterday afternoon, however, James was unaware of the previous allegations.

"I know Joanie is a former Lady Lion," James said. "That's it."

Curley was in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament and did not return a voicemail left on his cell phone.

O'Brien was noted for rebuilding a UMass team that went 0-27 in 1990-91. By 1996, the Minutewomen had improved drastically, posting a 20-win season. However, in the years following the lawsuit, O'Brien's teams suffered through three straight losing seasons. In March 2002, UMass opted not to extend O'Brien's contract.

The hiring comes during an already controversial season for Portland. Now in her 26th year of coaching the Lady Lions, Portland is facing a lawsuit by former Lady Lion Jen Harris. The lawsuit alleges that Portland discriminated Harris on the basis of sexual orientation, gender and race.

Portland has denied the allegations and has issued two statements supporting the university's non-discrimination policy.