Manhattan College appears ready to sign Pitt associate head coach Barry Rohrssen to succeed Bobby Gonzalez as head basketball coach,The Post has learned.

Rohrssen,45,a Brooklyn native widely regarded as one of the nation ‘s top New York City recruiters,interviewed in Riverdale on Thursday,a source said,and thoroughly impressed Athletic Director Bob Byrnes. Rohrssen,who would be introduced early next week, also interviewed at Seton Hall and Fairfield. He stands to inherit a talented team that won the MAAC regular-season title under Gonzalez this year. There are team issues, however,as second-leading

scorer Jeff Xavier,a sophomore guard,elected to transfer to Providence during this search,and C.J.Anderson,a

sophomore forward and 2004-05 MAAC Rookie of the Year,was academically ineligible this semester.

Byrne also interviewed Louisville assistant Kevin Willard and UConn assistant Tom Moore.

But Byrnes ‘three-man search committee has apparently found its man. It appears it ‘s now just a matter of finalizing a contract,a source said,which could take three or four days.

“It ‘s Barry ‘s time,” ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said earlier this month. “He ‘s had such a big role in making Pitt the power that it is in the Big East Conference.”

Rohrssen,the top assistant to Jamie Dixon at Pitt,has deep-rooted recruiting ties n the city.This year ‘s Panthers,who advanced to the Big East final and NCAA second round,featured six New Yorkers.

“When we started here at Pitt,we clearly identified New York as an important place to recruit,” Dixon said in January.

“He has so many ties there. …I can ‘t say enough as to how critical that is.”

In other news,Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg, an N.C.State legend whose 35-foot shot was converted

by Lorenzo Charles to win the 1983 national title for Jim Valvano,is a longshot for the Wolfpack,who reportedly are waiting to hear back from former UCLA coach Steve Lavin.

“I have not been contacted yet,” Whittenburg said last night at a Jimmy V Foundation dinner at Chelsea Piers.

In his third season at Fordham,Whittenburg led the Rams to a 16-16 finish,their most wins since 1992.