A report by Spin.ph said that Lim and NU management are only arranging minor details before the two parties could come into an agreement.
NU athletic director Chito Loyzaga, immediately denied the rumor, reiterating the statement he made on Wednesday that the school is open to any coach who wishes to apply for the vacant post with mid-January being the target date to make the hiring.
Lim is no stranger to college basketball, having guided his alma mater San Beda to an NCAA three-peat from 2006 to 2008 followed by a back-to-back title romp from 2010 to 2011.
He resigned as Red Lions coach in 2012 when the NCAA suspended him for his part in a brawl with San Sebastian volleyball mentor Roger Gorayeb during a game at the San Beda campus.
His last coaching stint came last year with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel during the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Reports also said that Louie Alas, Koy Banal and even Boyet Fernandez have expressed interest in the position, along with Pat Aquino, who guided the NU women’s team to a third straight UAAP championship with another 16-0 sweep.
Aquino emerged as one of the early candidates after he was recommended by Blackwater’s Dioseldo Sy, who serves as the team manager of the Lady Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs are hoping that a new leader would result in the return of the team’s winning ways after missing the Final Four with a 5-9 record.
Altamirano resigned after a five-year tenure marked by NU ending its 60-year title drought in 2014. (Jonas Terrado)