In the spring of 2004, Georgetown looked to a Princeton coach* with ties to the Hoyas to become its head coach and resurrect a storied program that had quickly grown irrelevant. Now, three years later, it appears that the Tigers will choose a Hoyas’ assistant with ties to the Princeton to be their 29th head coach and guide the Tigers to their first NCAA tournament since 2003-04.

Sydney Johnson, who graduated from Princeton in 1997 and has worked as an assistant at Georgetown under John Thompson III for the past three seasons, was offered the job at his alma mater on Wednesday night, sources close to the coaching search told the Daily Princetonian.

Princeton’s athletic department declined to comment except to say that its coaching search “remains ongoing,” and the Georgetown sports information office also declined to comment. Thompson generally does not allow his assistants to speak to the media, and as of Thursday afternoon, he had not lifted the ban on Johnson.

The Daily Princetonian reported Thursday that current Princeton assistant Mike Brennan, Brown Head Coach Craig Robinson and Boston Celtics assistant Armond Hill, all Tigers’ alumni, were among the others in contention to fill the vacancy.

Such an offer, if it has been extended to Johnson, would be a big step-up for the Georgetown assistant coach. A four-year starter for the Tigers and the 1997 Ivy League player of the year, Johnson had not coached professionally before joining Thompson’s staff, and a head coaching job in the Ivy League would be a significant accomplishment for someone of his somewhat-limited experience. Still, Johnson boasts an impressive 72-30 record as an assistant.

Following his graduation from Princeton, Johnson played professionally in Italy before returning stateside to work on the Hilltop. Thompson, who graduated from Princeton in 1988, was a Tigers’ assistant during Johnson’s final two years on the court.

A member of Princeton’s 1,000 points club, Johnson originally hails from Towson, Md., where he attended Towson Catholic.

Should he choose to leave, Johnson will be the second Georgetown assistant to take a head coaching job this offseason. Kevin Broadus was announced as Binghamton’s new head coach the week before the Final Four.

Broadus was highly regarded for his prowess on the recruiting trail, especially in the Washington, D.C., area – a presence Thompson is likely anxious to replace. Johnson’s area of expertise, by contrast, is his knowledge of the Princeton offense, and if he does intend to depart, it is likely that Thompson will look for a replacement with extensive experience in his intricate offense.

Georgetown’s third assistant coach, Robert Burke, served as an assistant at Princeton with Thompson and is regarded by many to be one of the best big-man coaches in the country. Reported to have possibly been a candidate at both Princeton and Air Force, Burke will be even more important should the rest of Thompson’s staff bolt.

Joe Scott, Thompson’s replacement at Princeton, left the program for the University of Denver last month.