The position has only been advertised for a week, but already the University of Maine is compiling an impressive list of candidates for its women’s basketball head coaching job.

Candidates will need to demonstrate a commitment to the academic excellence of the student-athletes, put them in a position to achieve on-court success and embrace his or her role as an active member of the community.

“I think the right coaching candidate for us will really buy into all three of those and be able to continue our success in all three areas,” said UMaine athletic director Blake James, who is among six members of a university search committee that will pore through the applications and select a coach.

The UMaine athletic department also is conducting searches for a head women’s ice hockey coach and a head swim coach/aquatics director.

Anne Pooler, UMaine’s associate dean for instruction and an associate professor of education, chairs the women’s basketball committee that will recommend a replacement for Ann McInerney, who resigned April 11 after leading the Black Bears to a combined 23-34 record (.404) over two seasons.

James said UMaine will have a nice pool of coaching talent from which to select a coach.

“Our response, as would be expected, has been tremendous,” he said. “The coaches out there recognize what a great place this is, what a great opportunity this represents. I’m very confident that as we go through the process, we’ll get a tremendous coach to go forward with.”

James said he has been talking with colleagues and contacts throughout the country to actively seek out the best candidates available, in addition to those who submit applications.

Among the required qualifications listed by UMaine in its job announcement are: A bachelor’s degree, master’s preferred, and a minimum of three years coaching experience at the collegiate level.

Prior to McInerney, who was hired by former UMaine athletic director Patrick Nero out of Division II Merrimack College, the program’s previous four head coaches (Peter Gavett, Trish Roberts, Joanne Palombo-McCallie and Sharon Versyp) all had previous Division I coaching experience.

“As a committee, it’s deciding on who’s the best person for this job,” James said. “Division I experience is something that is obviously very beneficial, as this is a head coach of a Division I program, but I don’t know that there’s necessarily an emphasis or a weighted type evaluation that we put on that.”

Other key qualifications include excellent organizational, oral and written communication skills; a demonstrated ability to mentor and motivate student-athletes; knowledge of and demonstrated commitment to NCAA rules and regulations; and a working knowledge of budget and business practices.

James said the search committee will select a candidate after a review of applications and private on-campus interviews with the top choices. He will then submit a recommendation for approval UMaine President Robert Kennedy.

James said there is no timetable for hiring a coach, but admitted time is of the essence.

“Obviously, the sooner we have this person here, the better the situation is for all involved,” said James, who pointed to the need for the players and recruits to meet the coach and for the new staff to finalize game scheduling and prepare for summer camps.

“We’re trying to find the best candidate and we’re working to get them here as quickly as we possibly can,” he added.

The new coach will face some challenges taking over the program. UMaine is coming off its first back-to-back losing seasons in modern program history and will feature a youthful squad that includes five freshmen and six sophomores.

The new coach also must try to reinvigorate interest in the program.

“I envision this person as really embracing the role they play in the community and who we are as a program and recognizing the important role that women’s basketball plays not only within our athletic department and the university but really within the entire state,” James said.

James already has overseen the hiring of four head coaches during his tenure at UMaine. They are baseball coach Steve Trimper, softball coach Stacey Sullivan, field hockey coach Josette Babineau and men’s soccer coach Pat Laughlin.

“[With] every coaching search there are different variables that come into play that make them all unique,” James said. “You get used to going through the steps that you need to conduct the search, but every search is very different.”