Princeton Coach Thompson Could Be Georgetown-Bound

The college basketball coaching carousel is spinning full force, and it may leave a vacancy at Princeton.

According to The Washington Post, Princeton Head Coach John Thompson III has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next head coach at Georgetown. The Post described the job as Thompson's for the taking.

Thompson would replace Craig Escherick, who was fired last month after a disappointing 13-15 (4-12 in the Big East) season with the Hoyas. Thompson is the son of legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson, and has compiled a 68-42 record in his four seasons at Princeton. Under Thompson, the Tigers have reached the NCAA Tournament twice, and won or shared an Ivy League title three times.

If Thompson accepts the position at Georgetown, Princeton would join Dartmouth as the second Ivy school with an opening for its head coach position. Unlike Dartmouth's fairly open national search, Princeton historically hires coaches with close ties to the school.

In that respect, Air Force Head Coach Joe Scott would likely have first opportunity to take the job. Scott is a Princeton alum and a former Tiger assistant, and was reportedly a strong candidate at Princeton when Bill Carmody left the program for Northwestern four years ago. Only the fourth coach in Air Force history, Scott revitalized a Falcons squad, which had not posted a winning record since the 1977-78 season, leading them to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004.

It would be a tough decision for Scott if offered the job. While Princeton is his alma mater, Air Force is in the Mountain West Conference, which regularly sends at-large teams to the NCAA Tournament. Scott could potentially use his success at Air Force to land a coaching job at a major conference school.

"Everyone knows that Princeton is and always will be close to my heart," Scott told The Denver Post earlier this week.

Air Force Associate Head Coach Chris Mooney would be another viable candidate if the Princeton job opens. Mooney was a First-Team All Ivy player on Princeton's 1994 team under Pete Carril. He also had success as a head coach in high school and at Division III Beaver College.

Princeton assistant Robert Burke and Northwestern assistant Paul Lee also have potential. While former Columbia Head Coach Armond Hill was reportedly a candidate for the Princeton job four years ago, the current Atlanta Hawks assistant is not expected to receive serious consideration this time around.

Andy Katz reported on ESPN.com earlier this week that Georgetown had narrowed its search to four candidates: Thompson, Penn Head Coach Fran Dunphy, Rice Head Coach Willis Wilson, and Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins.

Georgetown University declined to comment.

Princeton Athletic Director Gary Walters also did not return several phone calls.