Contrary to some recent newspaper reports, Phil Ford is not a member of the Philadelphia 76ers coaching staff.

Peter Vescey of the New York Post reported last week that Larry Brown had hired the former North Carolina assistant coach as an assistant on the Sixers staff. The story then turned up in newspapers in the Chapel Hill area.

But Ford said there is no truth to the story, and he has no idea where the information came from.

“I first heard about it Friday,” Ford said. “I was volunteering as an official at one of my sons’ track meet, and someone asked me about it.”

So for now, Ford is still an associate vice president of the Educational Foundation, focusing on fund raising. That doesn’t mean Ford wouldn’t welcome the chance to return to coaching – especially at the NBA level.

“It would be a great opportunity,” said Ford, who was a UNC assistant from 1988-2000. “But it’s not something I’ve discussed with the 76ers.”