Though it’s early in Penn State’s search for a new head basketball coach, already one name is getting play, and that name is Jeff Lebo.
Lebo is currently the head coach for East Carolina and ESPN's Andy Katz reported Wednesday Penn State may see him as a potential replacement for former coach Ed DeChellis, who announced he was leaving the program to coach at Navy on Monday.
"According to multiple sources, Penn State will consider East Carolina coach Jeff Lebo, who is from Carlisle," Katz said.
In his first season with the Pirates, Lebo finished with an 18-16 record and his team lost in the first round of the CIT.
Lebo does have experience coaching at a bigger school similar to Penn State. He spent six years at Auburn before getting fired in 2010. While there he compiled a 96-93 record, but had only a .371 winning percentage in Southeastern Conference play.
Lebo has also been the head coach at both Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech, but has never appeared in the NCAA tournament.
It was announced on Wednesday that Penn State hired two-time SEC coach of the year Eddie Fogler to help Tim Curley with his sudden coaching search.
Lebo is one of the early favorites for the job for two reasons. He has connections to central Pennsylvania and he has a relationship with Fogler.
Fogler and Lebo's relationship dates back to the mid eighties when Fogler was an assistant to legendary coach Dean Smith at North Carolina and Lebo was a McDonald’s All-American at Carlisle High School. Fogler recruited Lebo who eventually decided to be a Tar Heel.
According to Katz, Drexel’s Bruiser Flint and Duquesne’s Ron Everhart are two other early candidates for the vacant Penn State position.
Keep following the Collegian for continuing updates on Penn State's search for a new basketball coach.
