After an exhaustive search spanning more than two months, Penn assistant coach Steve Donahue has been tipped by the athletic administration as the new Cornell men’s basketball head coach.
An official announcement will be made tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the Hall of Fame room of Schoellkopf Hall.
“It feels great,” said Donahue. “I can’t think of a better opportunity.”
This will be Donahue’s first crack at a head coaching job. He has spent 10 years on the bench for the Quakers, and was also previously an assistant at Division II Philadelphia College of Textile and Science.
“We’re sorry to see him go, but sorry for all the right reasons,” current Penn head coach Fran Dunphy stated, adding, “I’m certainly happy for Steve. I think he’ll do great job.”
Donahue interviewed twice for the job, and beat out six other candidates considered for the position.
Associate Director of athletics Bob Chaddock, who led the search, refused to comment for this article.
“It’s a good choice. He should do a wonderful job,” expressed George Blaney, one of the other candidates.
Donahue’s challenge now becomes preparing for a season that starts on November 18th against Lafayette.
“It’s a critical time [right now],” Donahue explained, adding that his first task as coach would be to get to know the players.
“We can start forming a family around Cornell basketball,” he said.
Although his arrival in Ithaca is imminent, Donahue must first part with the program that he has helped lead to three consecutive undefeated seasons in conference play, five Ivy League Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances during the ’90s.
“It’s extremely sad to go away from something I’ve done for ten years,” he pointed out. “It was a huge part of my life.”
However, Donahue has ceased living in the past and is now concentrating on building a future on the East Hill.
“I’m looking forward [to coming to Cornell],” he said. “And I’m excited as hell.”
Archived article by Shiva Nagaraj