Coach to be hired soon?

And then there were three.

Athletic Director Jeff Bourne said Sunday night that JMU had narrowed its list of four men's basketball coach candidates down to three since Friday and hopes to hire a coach this week.

Entering the weekend, JMU had narrowed its final list of coaching candidates to four coaches — Ron Bradley, Matt Doherty, Larry Hunter and Dean Keener.

Bourne declined to say which three candidates made the cut before meeting with JMU President Linwood Rose today.

"I don't want anyone to determine that ahead of time," he said.

"We feel like we've selected the best candidates that are an ideal fit for this institution and this coaching position," Bourne added.

Although no offers have been made, Bourne said he still wants to hire a coach by the end of the week.

"It's going to really depend because we're going to meet with [Rose] hopefully Monday and from there, decide where we go in terms of the approach we take," he said. "I'm hoping that certainly by the end of the week we've made a decision and it will be announced."

If a decision will be made this week, it is possible the candidate that didn't make the final list is Keener, an assistant at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets won Sunday, advancing to the Final Four, which begins Saturday in San Antonio, Texas. Therefore, Keener likely would be unavailable to accept the job until after the Final Four.

Doherty is thought to be the front-runner for the job. However, he has interviewed for the head coaching job at St. John's University and is thought to be a leading candidate for that position as well.

Doherty coached at the University of North Carolina three years before resigning last year. He led UNC to a 53-43 record, but failed to reach the NCAA Tournament twice.

Hunter is in his second season as the assistant coach at North Carolina State University., while Bradley was an assistant coach at Clemson University this season.

University of Arkansas assistant Ronny Thompson withdrew his name from consideration last week to consider other coaching opportunities.