I couldn’t help thinking while I was watching former UMaine women’s basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie being introduced as the new Duke University women’s hoop boss last Friday that it may be time to return to the same winning formula that brought the likes of Joanne and Sharon Versyp to Orono.

Coach Versyp presently hangs her whistle at Purdue, a place that saw Sharon and her team march to the Elite Eight last season. Joanne, on the other hand, led her Michigan State team to an NCAA final a year ago.

What does all this success mean for the University in Orono?

It’s simple, really. Success breeds success. Young aggressive assistant coaches, striving to make their way in the tough world of coaching often are just what the doctor ordered to ignite success here. McCallie came to Orono from Auburn, a place that saw her serve as an assistant, while Versyp spent time at Louisville and James Madison as an assistant prior to becoming a head coach. The women’s hoop program in Orono needs a fire lit under it – and soon.

The last two winters under coach Ann McInerney, who came to Maine as a Div. II head coach at Merrimack, have seen the Black Bears falter and fall into the relative abyss of mediocrity that can often spell doom for a program which competes with hundreds of other programs nationwide to garner the so-called blue chip players.

Toss in a couple of those elite hoopsters with some solid Maine talent, and you have the makings of a conference champion.

Here’s my advice to the good folks in Orono who will make the weighty decision regarding the next coach at UMaine.

Begin the process by taking a look at what has worked in Orono. The knock on Div. I assistants is this: They don’t stay here long enough, and they’re likely to pad their resumes with sundry items such as a winning tenure at Maine as they look to their next stop along the way.

That’s all well and good as long as they win here. Remember: These young people have to prove themselves by winning, and they are driven.

I never got the impression that the aforementioned McInerney was driven primarily because the level she attained by getting the job in Orono wasn’t something she really aspired to, nor did she feel driven to go beyond the friendly confines of the Alfond Arena and land at a Michigan State or a Purdue.

If you want to define driven, however, you need only look at Brown University’s current women’s assistant coach, Cindy Blodgett.

For my money, the university could never find anyone more driven than this young woman, and the beauty of a Blodgett hire would be this: If given the head job, she might just stay.

I’ve worked with this young lady, and she is goal oriented. She would bring that drive back to Maine, and she would attract a huge following of both fans and recruits, who would still be part of the Blodgett generation, who hung on her every word and deed a number of years ago.

A Blodgett generation of hoopsters still thrives in our state. In fact, Cindy lives in Massachusetts, primarily for privacy, an issue that indicates her popularity and her pull.

Drawbacks to a Blodgett candidacy in Orono may include lack of bench experience, but I’m guessing that Cindy may be just what the doctor ordered for a program that needs a shot of enthusiasm, credibility, and name recognition on the bench.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net