UMaine needs to invest in proven coaching talent

Recent efforts by the media to influence the selection of a new women’s basketball coach at UMaine have been good in at least one respect: They are evidence that UM women’s basketball still excites the media and the fans. It remains one of the university’s premier sports, and it deserves our attention and our enthusiasm as it seeks to break out of its current doldrums and regain its accustomed top spot in New England.

When the press and the public get personally involved in selecting the next university president or head coach, it means they care. That’s a very good thing. The downside is that they tend to favor known (and usually local) names, remaining unaware that the next great university or sports leader is probably to be found in a national pool of talent, currently working minor miracles in a venue not regularly covered by the BDN.

UM found Joanne Palombo-McCallie at Auburn, in Alabama. She, recruiting the likes of Cindy Blodgett and Jamie Cassidy, put UM women’s basketball on the national radar. When she went on to a well-earned coaching position at Michigan State, UM looked to Virginia (James Madison University), where they found Sharon Versyp. Versyp exceeded even McCallie in her ability to recruit nationally competitive players and win games that made the nation take notice. Versyp now coaches Purdue, while McCallie has moved up to Duke.

From Bart Starr to Eddie Mathews, the world is full of hometown heroes who tried unsuccessfully to lead their former teams. As outstanding as Paul Vachon and Cindy Blodgett are at the things they have done best, they have not proven themselves on a Division I coaching stage the way McCallie and Versyp had. When Cindy develops the experience and success as a coach in the way those two giants did, perhaps she will qualify to coach at her alma mater. Not yet.

UMaine should thank the public and the media for its passionate interest in its women’s basketball team. The university also needs to recommit its own passion and resources to rebuilding the program. Former athletic director Patrick Nero settled for a low-budget option when he hired Ann McInerney. And the university got what it paid for. It has not had a competitive recruiting class since Sharon Versyp’s second year. It has been blessed by Cindy Blodgett’s greatest legacy: When Cindy played at Maine, young girls across the state started bouncing and shooting basketballs in their driveways, producing superstars like Heather Earnest and Bracey Barker for the Alfond Arena. That has preserved the Black Bear program.

The next UM women’s coach, however, will have to recruit nationally and even internationally, the way the great predecessors did. He or she will need to have national credentials and national-level fire in the belly. These qualities do not come without the right preparatory experience. Nor do they come without a sufficient investment from the athletics budget. The fans and the media have spoken. They want a return to greatness. They should encourage and support the university to achieve this return by investing in proven talent.

Peter Hoff

Bangor

Note to readers: The BDN reserves the right to edit submissions for libel, taste, clarity, and to fit available space. Letters should include a signature, full name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters may be mailed to: P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402, or e-mailed: bdnsports@bangordailynews.net