Dwayne Casey gave an impressive interview for...

Dwayne Casey gave an impressive interview for the head basketball coaching job at the University of New Orleans despite a recruiting controversy involving the Kentucky assistant, University of New Orleans officials said.

Casey met with a committee in New Orleans conducting the search for a coach just hours after the Los Angeles Daily News reported that a package shipped from Casey to the father of Kentucky recruit Chris Mills of Fairfax High School contained $1,000 in cash when it accidentally opened in the Los Angeles office of a delivery service.

New Orleans Athletic Director Ron Maestri said Casey called him early Thursday morning to tell him the story had appeared and offered to withdraw as a candidate for the university’s coaching job.

Maestri asked Casey to fly to New Orleans from Lexington, Ky., after Casey assured him there was no truth to the story.

“In the interview, he was very specific in explaining the allegations,” committee chairman Dave Sherman said. “We are satisfied that they have no merit. He is in no way tarnished. There is not even a remote question about his candidacy. He gave a phenomenal interview.”

However, Casey was not one of the three finalists announced by the university Friday night. They were Idaho Coach Tim Floyd, Auburn assistant Ned Fowler and former professional coach Tom Nissalke.