Cincinnati ? Bob Huggins agreed Wednesday to step down as Cincinnati’s basketball coach, ousted by a school president determined to change the program’s image.

One day after Huggins was given a choice of resigning or being fired, he agreed to take a $3 million buyout of his contract. The school’s offer includes a chance to stay for three more months, giving advice on basketball recruits and related matters.

“We are working on the details of the agreement, which may or may not be finalized in the next 24 hours,” said Richard Katz, Huggins’ attorney.

Huggins left Katz’s office without comment, dressed in his black Cincinnati jacket, when no final deal was reached Wednesday.

The university sent Katz a letter earlier in the day outlining the $3 million buyout. The letter, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, offered Huggins $110,000 per month for the next three months to stay on and ease the coaching transition.

“His duties will include providing information about the current team, identifying and commenting upon potential recruits, and documenting his institutional memory of the basketball program during his 16-year coaching tenure,” the letter said.

An interim coach has not been chosen. The school doesn’t anticipate hiring a permanent replacement until after the 2005-06 season, its first in the Big East. The school will have a difficult time attracting recruits in the meantime.

President Nancy Zimpher sent Huggins an ultimatum Tuesday, giving him 24 hours either to take the buyout, stay in a capacity other than basketball coach or get fired from the job. Zimpher, hired in 2003, wants the program to recruit players with better grades and an aversion to trouble. She also wants her coaches to be better role models.