Joanne P. McCallie, who coached Cindy Blodgett for four years at the University of Maine, spoke for the overwhelming majority of people when she called Wednesday’s hiring of Blodgett as the new Black Bear women’s basketball coach a “great fit.

“It’s perfect timing. With her work ethic and her understanding of the Maine women’s basketball program, I think she’s going to do amazing things,” said McCallie, who recently left Michigan State to take the head coaching job at Duke University.

“I’m real excited for the community and the state. They’re going to enjoy the process of having Cindy come back as a head coach and put her stamp on the program. I’m so impressed with her as a person, how she’s developed as a coach and the commitment she’s put forth in her coaching,” added McCallie.

Clinton native Blodgett returns to Maine after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Brown University. She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Boston University.

She was a four-year All-American at Maine and holds a total of 17 school records.

After graduating from Maine in 1998, she played a couple of seasons in the WNBA. She also played professional basketball in France.

Stony Brook coach Maura McHugh coached Blodgett when she played for the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA and said Blodgett is a “great hire for the university. To me, it was a no-brainer. It would have been crazy not to hire her.

“Cindy Blodgett is synonymous with University of Maine basketball,” said McHugh. “She has a very knowledgeable basketball mind and she has had a lot of experience as a player and a coach. She will bring a fresh approach to the program.”

McHugh also said Blodgett has a pleasant demeanor.

“For someone as fierce a competitor as she is, she seems to have a nice, easy-going personality [off the court],” said McHugh.

Blodgett is replacing Ann McInerney, who resigned after going 23-34 in two seasons.

“It’s a good move,” said Bangor High School girls coach Tom Tennett. “It’s a tough situation up there right now. Cindy certainly deserves the chance with what she’s given to the Maine basketball program.

“She has a great reputation throughout the state. They’ve gotten away from the formula that has made them successful. Cindy will bring back the glory days when the whole idea was to get the best Maine kids to really dedicate themselves and aspire to play for the university. I think some of the best Maine players are looking to go elsewhere now,” said Tennett.

Husson College women’s coach and former Black Bear guard Kissy Walker agreed.

“She’ll do her best to get the top Maine kids,” predicted Walker.

Former teammate Stephanie Guidi said Blodgett “obviously knows what it takes to win. She’s a winner. She always has been and always will be. She will bring a competitive spirit to the program like no other. Her work ethic is second to none. Her kids will work hard. She wants to be the best and she’ll instill that in her kids. If they don’t want to be the best, it’s doubtful that she’ll recruit them.”

Bruce Cooper coached Blodgett at Lawrence High School when they won four straight state Class A championships.

“She will be outstanding. I’ll be willing to go out on a limb and say if you give her some time to build the program, she’ll have the Alfond Arena rocking like it was a few years back,” said Cooper. “She knows the game better than most and she’ll be able to portray that to her players. She will be demanding and understanding. She’s been through it all at every level. She was a very good scholar-athlete at Maine so she knows the demands of academics and how to budget your time.”

One of the keys to any coach at the Division I level is recruiting and Cooper has seen her in action, first-hand. Blodgett recruited his daughter, Cassie, for Brown. Cassie Cooper, however, wanted to study pre-med and will attend Dartmouth College in the fall.

“Cindy’s a great recruiter. She did a fantastic job recruiting my daughter,” said Cooper. “She knows how to talk to recruits. One thing I can guarantee is that Cindy will give you a flat-out honest answer. She won’t snowball anybody and the majority of people appreciate that.”

Mt. Blue of Farmington 1,000-point scorer Christina Mosher, an incoming recruit, told the Lewiston Sun Journal she’s “excited” about playing for Blodgett.

“I think it will be really cool. I think it will be a good situation because it will be a fresh start for everybody,” said Mosher. “She’ll get to see us for the first time, and we’ll get to see here. It’s like a new beginning for everybody.”

Cony High of Augusta girls coach Paul Vachon and his daughter, Amy, who played with Blodgett for two years, were also pleased with the university’s decision.

“Everything Cindy has done, she’s done well and I can’t see that changing now,” said Paul Vachon. “She proved herself as a high school basketball player, a college basketball player and a WNBA player. She works extremely hard and her work ethic is what Maine people like to see.”

Daughter Amy Vachon said Blodgett will do an “awesome job.

“As a player, she always wanted to be the best and that translates well into her desire to be the best coach she can be,” said Amy Vachon.

Vachon saw her leadership abilities when she captained the Black Bears to four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.

She said Blodgett had the ability to “walk the fine line” between saying what was necessary to inspire her team to play better “when we needed a push” and praise them when they were playing up to standards.

She echoed Cooper’s sentiments that one of her best qualities is her honesty.

McCallie has no doubts about Blodgett’s ability to recruit, saying her passion for the game and her strong belief in the University of Maine will be valuable weapons in attracting players.

Guidi said it will be important for Blodgett to hire a coaching staff “that has the same vision as she does.”

Another plus for Blodgett is she could significantly improve the sagging attendance just like she did as a player.

“She’ll energize the program,” said Tennett.

“I really think she’ll put people in the seats,” concurred McHugh. “People are longing for those days when she played up there.”