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Maurice Joseph, second from left, was an assistant at George Washington for Mike Lonergan, far right. USATSI

George Washington has promoted assistant Maurice Joseph to interim men's basketball coach for the 2016-17 season, the school announced Tuesday.

Joseph replaces his boss and former coach, Mike Lonergan, who was fired Sept. 16 after an independent investigation uncovered enough evidence for the university to warrant terminating him from his post. The findings of that investigation led GW officials to conclude Lonergan's pattern of behavior was "inconsistent with the university's values."

Lonergan and his legal team claim his firing did not follow proper protocol which could lead to a lawsuit. Lonergan went 97-70 in five years with GW and took the Colonials to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

The move to hire Joseph does not fully remove the program from its ties to Lonergan. Joseph -- the youngest person on the staff -- joined George Washington when Lonergan was hired, in 2011, and was promoted to assistant coach in 2013. He also played for Lonergan at Vermont for two years, in 2009 and 2010, after transferring there from Michigan State. Additionally, Joseph was given the job ahead of associate head coach Hajj Turner, who is a longtime disciple of Lonergan's dating back to Lonergan's time at Vermont.

"I am eager and well prepared to begin this journey with the 13 student-athletes in our locker room and the tight-knit group of coaches that I will rely upon heavily," Joseph said in a statement. "It is a distinct honor to have the opportunity to be a mentor to our team in this new role. I have the utmost confidence that I will validate the trust that Provost Maltzman and Patrick Nero have placed in me, and that we will deliver a product that makes our students, alumni and fans across the globe proud of GW basketball and the university."

A source told CBS Sports that the decision to hire Joseph was done in an effort to keep the situation with the coaching staff and the team as stable as possible. Turner and fellow assistant Carm Maciariello were kept on after the university dismissed Lonergan. Another source told CBS Sports that this move is also unlikely to trigger any players transferring out of the program in the short-term; that includes star Tyler Cavanaugh, who is in his final year of eligibility as a graduate student.

George Washington begins practice Friday, which is 40 days out from the start of the regular season.