Report: Celtics Assistant Coach Lawrence Frank Front-Runner for Tennessee Job Vacated by Bruce Pearl Firing

by Mike Cole on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 7:14PM

If and when Doc Rivers decides he wants to walk away from the Celtics, assistant coach and former Nets head coach Lawrence Frank would have to be one of the top candidates to replace Rivers — unless Frank walks away first.

According to hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy, the C's assistant has emerged as the front-runner to land the University of Tennessee of coaching job. That job opened up when the university fired former head coach Bruce Pearl on Monday. For the time being, Houston Fancher is serving as the program's interim head coach.

If Frank were to take the job, it would be a return to Knoxville for the 40-year-old. Frank was an assistant for the Volunteers for three years under former Vols and current USC head coach Kevin O'Neill. According to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, league sources have indicated that the Tennessee job is likely the only college job that he would consider leaving the NBA for.

Wojnarowski also indicated that there was "no way" that Frank would leave Boston before the end of the season, and that it would likely take a long-term contract to lure Frank to Knoxville given that NCAA sanctions are likely coming for the program.