Now that Jim Larranaga has said thanks but no thanks, the search for a Providence College basketball coach gets started again.

Here is a list of possible candidates:

CRAIG ROBINSON

The Brown coach is known to be one guy the Friars have studied.

Robinson has only been a head coach for two years, so he would be a major gamble in some ways for PC. However, the reviews concerning Robinson have been extremely positive in many different ways. The Princeton grad and former two-time Ivy League Player of the Year has employed a modified Princeton style with the Bears. His team set a school record 19 victories this season.

The former Wall Street businessman also has proven to be a great representative for Brown. The fact that he often plays basketball with his brother-in-law, presidential candidate Barack Obama, is simply an added bonus.

TRAVIS FORD

The young Massachusetts coach and Rick Pitino disciple has emerged as one of the hottest names on the coaching circuit.

He has his Minuteman team in the NIT finals and has done it using a fast-paced, entertaining style of play. Another guy who enjoys being the public face of the program by often attending public functions, he is likely to go somewhere after three years at UMass. His first team went 13-15. His squad went 24-9 and tied for the regular-season title in the Atlantic 10 last season.

A Kentucky native, Ford, 38, has made it clear he enjoys his southern roots — he played for Pitino at Kentucky — and might prefer a job south of the Mason-Dixon line. The allure of a Big East job like Providence, though, could change that.

KEVIN O’NEILL

The former Marquette coach spent the season as the replacement for Lute Olson at Arizona when Olson took the year off for personal reasons. The Wildcats went 21-13 under O’Neill’s direction.

O’Neill was expected to be the next Wildcats’ coach. Just the other day, though, Olson had a press conference in which he confirmed that he will return to the sideline next season and that O’Neill will not be on his staff.

O’Neill compiled an 86-62 record in five years at Marquette, guiding the team to three postseason appearances. The 51-year-old also has been the head coach at Tennessee, Tulsa and Delaware. O’Neill was an assistant under Olson in the 1980s when the Arizona program rose to national prominence.

BOB McKILLOP

The veteran Davidson coach has vaulted front and center on the national scene thanks to the terrific performance by his team in reaching the Elite Eight this season. But McKillop is not an overnight success.

He has won more games than any coach in Davidson history and six times has been voted Southern Conference coach of the year. His record at Davidson is 338-224. In 16 seasons as a head coach, McKillop has had only one losing season, in 2000-01. He has directed teams to the NCAA Tournament five times and the NIT three times.

TIM O’SHEA

The Ohio University coach has spent the last seven years in Athens. His teams have won 79 games in the last four years, including going 20-13 this season.

The Bobcats played in the new CBI Tournament last month and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005.

The Boston College grad and longtime assistant to Al Skinner at both URI and Boston College has numerous ties to Rhode Island. He owns a home in Newport. He was given a contract extension in 2005 that runs through 2010. Twenty-two of the 23 players who completed their eligibility under O’Shea have graduated.

pkenyon@projo.com