The announcement was expected later Tuesday afternoon, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Donahue's hiring had not yet been made public.
Donahue led the Big Red to a 29-5 record this season — the most wins in Ivy history — and victories over favored Temple and Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. The first Ivy team to reach the Sweet 16 in more than 30 years, Cornell lost to No. 1-seeded Kentucky 62-45 in the regional semifinals.
Donahue will take over for Al Skinner, who was fired after 13 years in which he became the winningest coach in BC history and took the Eagles to seven NCAA tournaments in a nine-year span. In announcing the decision, BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo said he was looking for a more exciting style of play than the banging, Big East style that Skinner favored.
DeFilippo was also hoping his new coach will draw fans to the Conte Forum, where attendance has declined for four straight seasons.
Donahue went 74-117 in his first seven seasons at Cornell, which hadn't won the Ivy title since 1988. They went 16-12 in 2006-07, and the next year the Big Red won its first of three straight Ivy championships to break a string in which Penn and Princeton won or shared every league title but three since 1969.