PHILADELPHIA – Fran Dunphy is staying put.

Dunphy was the home run in La Salle’s search for a new men’s basketball coach, and the Explorers swung for the fences, making Penn’s coach a lucrative long-term offer to return to his alma mater. But after lengthy and almost tortured deliberations, Dunphy said Saturday that he is remaining at the school where he has coached for the last 15 seasons.

“It was about the hardest thing I’ve ever done, certainly in my adult life,” Dunphy said last night. “It’s a very difficult situation, you’re kind of torn either way. I remember when Roy Williams was in a similar situation when he was at Kansas trying to decide if was going to back to North Carolina. It’s very emotional and very difficult to try and make the right decision.

“There was no wrong decision. There was no bad decision … There’s no side to pick here. It is what it is. In the end, it was relationships I built with players or former players.”

Where does La Salle go from here? The school could look to Maine coach John Giannini, who interviewed for the job in 2001 and was a considered a strong candidate at that time.

Did Dunphy give La Salle a no in the end, or did the school decide that it was time to move on? Dunphy described it as mutual decision with La Salle president Brother Michael McGinniss.

“The relationship that we both had at the end was, what was the best way to handle this situation,” Dunphy said. “We just came to this decision. He could see that I was torn. He’s a very perceptive and patient man.”

La Salle made an offer believed to be for around $350,000 a year for six or seven years. Dunphy had been La Salle’s target for the past two weeks. While La Salle had earlier contacted other potential candidates, it is believed that Dunphy was the first candidate who got as far as talking about contract terms with the school. A number of sources said that Penn also came back at him with a counteroffer.

“It was never about offers,” Dunphy said. “It was about making the right decision.”

, for me and for Penn and for La Salle.”

On Saturday night, La Salle put out the following statement from athletic director Tom Brennan: “We made a 110 percent effort – financially and otherwise, to bring Fran Dunphy back to La Salle. While it is clear that Fran has a great deal of respect for both schools, in the end it became apparent to us that it would be too difficult for him to leave behind the legacy and relationships he’s built at the University of Pennsylvania over the last 15 years. I think it’s safe to say that all of us at La Salle have a great deal of pride and respect for Fran and all he has accomplished.

“As for the process of hiring a new coach, from the very beginning we have been contacted by a number of highly qualified individuals who see this as a tremendous opportunity. We’re confident we’ll select a coach that will make the University and community proud.”

Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky put out a statement of his own: “I am delighted that Fran has decided to stay at Penn.”

There also is talk that the Explorers may take another run at Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon, who was contacted immediately after the job opened last month, met with Brennan and then Brother McGinniss and told them at the time he wasn’t interested in being a candidate.

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AP-NY-08-14-04 2247EDT