Last spring, as the University of Maine searched for its next women’s basketball head coach, Cindy Blodgett quickly surfaced as a candidate.

Though she had impressive credentials as a player – starring at Lawrence High in Fairfield and the University of Maine before enjoying a modest professional career – Blodgett didn’t seem to be prepared for such a challenge. Or was she?

The program was in a tailspin. During the previous two seasons, UMaine compiled a 23-34 record, its first consecutive sub-.500 seasons, and suffered back-to-back, first-game losses in the America East tourney.

Blodgett had coached for only three seasons, one as a graduate assistant at Boston University and two as an assistant at Brown (2005-2007).

But the UMaine position was the kind of opportunity for which she had been waiting. In spite of her limited coaching credentials, Blodgett pursued the job – and won it.

Back then, it was difficult for many of us to picture Blodgett directing the Black Bears. It was hard to get past the memories of the shy, introverted young woman who appeared so uncomfortable in interviews.

Having spoken with Blodgett only a few times since she left UMaine in 1998, it was impossible to understand how much personal growth the small-town girl from Clinton had experienced after moving outside her comfort zone and living in places such as Cleveland, Sacramento, France and Boston.

After watching Blodgett and the Bears the last five months, it is clear she knows where she wants the Bears to go and how to help them get there.

It is folly to mistake her soft-spoken style for weakness. Blodgett is bright, poised and thoughtful. She has the savvy to get her point across without being flamboyant or cocky.

During a late-season practice, one player failed on three consecutive tries to properly guard her player. Blodgett simply said, “Step off, I’ll show you.”

Blodgett ran with her player down to the low post, slipped under a screen and stayed right with the “opponent” out to the 3-point line. She had made her point, without saying a word.

She is brutally honest, whether talking to a player about work ethic or expectations, or discussing her team’s strengths and weaknesses with the media. There is no pretense.

Blodgett inherited one of the youngest, least talented teams UMaine has ever had. Rather than make excuses for their shortcomings, she demanded effort and expected excellence.

Even though she realized it wouldn’t happen overnight, she unveiled the slogan “Dare to be Great” to help erase some of the doubts and negative thoughts that may have existed.

For Blodgett, it is all part of re-instilling a championship mindset at UMaine.

“We have a lot of players that were recruited to play Division I that have a Division II and Division III mentality and you can’t change that in a year,” Blodgett said bluntly.

Blodgett is astute enough to realize the work ethic she expects her players to demonstrate isn’t likely to match her own obsession with basketball.

“What I don’t expect them to be is me,” she said. “I don’t expect them to be in the gym and spend as much time as I did. I know that was probably abnormal.”

Still, Blodgett won’t settle for the lackadaisical approach some players had taken in their preparation prior to her arrival. When the Bears begin preseason workouts in September, they’ll know exactly what is expected of them and will be prepared, physically and mentally, to take the next step.

“The only time you make up that ground is that 200 days when you’re not in season,” Blodgett said of offseason preparation.

This season must have been excruciating for Blodgett. The Bears lost almost as many games (23) as the 28 UMaine suffered during her entire four-year playing career.

Even so, she and her enthusiastic, young coaching staff transformed a group of raw, previously unproven players into a gritty, motivated team that made tremendous strides, individually and collectively.

“It was a tough season between wins and losses,” admitted junior Colleen Kilmurray. “We just keep coming out and working hard. We just have to learn from our mistakes. We’re looking to get better so next year we won’t have to deal with the same things.”

Blodgett returns a handful of solid, veteran contributors in Amanda Tewksbury, Kilmurray and Brittany Boser. And she is blessed with some younger, homegrown talent in Emily Rousseau, Tanna Ross and Christina Mosher.

If Blodgett’s first recruiting class proves strong, and the supporting cast continues to develop, the Bears should begin the long climb back to respectability in America East.

Blodgett knows the level of commitment it takes to succeed in Division I, and she recognizes the caliber of athlete it takes to win consistently in America East and beyond.

As Blodgett continues to learn and grow as a coach and mentor, and as she imparts the lessons learned from a lifetime of basketball success, UMaine’s prospects will improve. And while it likely will take two or three more years, don’t be surprised to see UMaine back in the NCAA tournament.

pwarner@bangordailynews.net

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