In terms of reports and rumors, it would appear that Associate Head Coach Barry Rohrssen interviewed yesterday for the Seton Hall job, and is the co-leader to get the gig.

Bobby Gonzalez is keeping quiet about his travel itinerary after gaining a reputation, fair or not, as a self-promoter in seasons past. Even though he interviewed with Temple yesterday and has Seton Hall up next, the Manhattan coach is cultivating his discretion this time.

With Louis Orr out as coach of Seton Hall, the Big East program has begun interviewing candidates, among them Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen, who met with officials yesterday, and Gonzalez, who will interview today or tomorrow.

As for the other candidates named for the job, Iona athletic director Pat Lyons said that Seton Hall had not called to ask permission to speak to Jeff Ruland.
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Temple is a high-profile assignment, but Seton Hall would be a more logical step for Gonzalez. His main competition, Rohrssen, has a well-deserved reputation for snagging New York players like Carl Krauser and Mount Vernon’s Keith Benjamin.

Benjamin’s high school coach, Bob Cimmino, said Rohrssen is great with the kids and steeped in New York knowledge.

“He’s a people person,” Cimmino said. “He has a way of getting to know you very quickly, and he takes a keen interest in the background of the players.”

But he has not been a head coach of a high-profile program. Gonzalez, on the other hand, has proved himself to be a good recruiter and adept at pulling the best out of the players with whom he has to work.

The story is very positive towards Gonzalez, though it does a good job of pointing out why Gonzalez isn’t the slam dunk others assume he should be. One reason why Seton Hall may not be as hot for Gonzalez as you would think they should be, is his reputation for wanting to move further up the coaching ladder. That he was so eager to bolt Manhattan in the past for jobs that it turned ADs off to him. Seton Hall doesn’t want to be perceived as a stepping stone gig. I can sympathize a little.

There are, of course several others, listed as possibilities for Seton Hall.

Monmouth coach Dave Calloway is also expected to be contacted. Quinlan will gauge Larranaga’s interest after George Mason is finished playing in the Final Four. Larranaga, a Bronx native, has orchestrated one of the most improbable runs through the NCAA Tournament.

While Iona coach Jeff Ruland remains a possibility, he is considered a long shot at this point.

Florida Atlantic University Coach Matt Doherty is also a name being bandied about.

Still, the reports keep indicating that it is Gonzalez or Rohrssen.

With Pecora out of the mix, Seton Hall athletic director Joe Quinlan is focusing his attention on Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez and Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen, according to three people familiar with Seton Hall’s coaching search.

Rohrssen is also a possibility at Fairfield.

Rohrssen, regarded as one of the nation’s top New York City recruiters, also is a candidate at Fairfield along with former St. John’s coach Fran Fraschilla, who is said to be interviewing with the MAAC school today.

Fraschilla – who worked the NIT for ESPN last night at the Garden and has been outward in his affection for his current position – would neither confirm nor deny the rumor.

“I have had conversations with [athletic director] Gene Doris,” he told The Post, “and I think Fairfield is an excellent university.”

There is some surprise that Rohrssen would be as strong a possibility as Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, who guided the Jaspers to a pair of NCAA tournaments, including an upset of Florida in 2004, and two NIT appearances, should have a leg up.

Rohrssen, who has funneled New York high school talent to Pittsburgh for years, is known as a strong recruiter, something Gonzalez can match. But Gonzalez has seven years of head coaching experience, something Rohrssen does not.

Seton Hall has no recruits signed for next season, so the new coach will have to play catchup in a big way on the recruiting trails.

Coach Dixon was, naturally, positive about the possibility of Rohrssen moving to a new job.

“I want guys who want to be head coaches,” Dixon said. “To be a good head coach you have to be a good assistant first. I want our guys looking at head coaching jobs and preparing to be head coaches because that makes them good assistant coaches.”

Former Pitt Coach Ben Howland reminisced a little about Jamie Dixon as he glowingly spoke about him.

If not for the job at UCLA — in Los Angeles, near both men’s roots — Howland said he likely would have stayed at Pitt and would have hoped that Dixon would have remained on his staff as his top assistant.

“Jamie is an incredible coach,” said Howland, who leads the Bruins against LSU in the national semifinals Saturday. “He represents the community and the university with the type of values you expect.”
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Before deciding to remain at Pitt, where he conceded he always figured to be, Dixon was being courted by Arizona State and Missouri to fill their coaching vacancies.

“I was getting calls from a lot of big schools about Jamie,” Howland said. “He could have gotten more money, but with him, it’s not about that.

“I’m so happy and excited for the University of Pittsburgh and for Jamie. It’s a perfect match.”

Just before news finally started leaking that Dixon was going to stay at Pitt,stories had started surfacing that Howland was telling people that Dixon would be staying at Pitt.