Randy Dunton wants to become a Division I basketball head coach.

After spending seven seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Division I Liberty University in Virginia, Dunton hopes his next stop will be Orono, where the University of Maine seeks a men’s basketball coach.

Dunton, a native of Carmel and a 1979 graduate of Bangor Christian School, is among nearly 50 coaches who have applied to replace former Black Bears coach Rudy Keeling, who resigned in June to take the Northeastern job.

UMaine’s search is moving quickly, according to search committee chairman Dino Mattessich, UMaine’s senior associate athletic director for finance and administration. Mattessich said the nine-member committee has met twice and already has begun to identify the most promising candidates.

The next step for the search committee is to check references and narrow the list of candidates. That process should begin this week.

Mattessich said the application deadline is July 26. The committee hopes to have identified three or four finalists within two weeks.

Those candidates will be interviewed on campus, then a recommendation will be made to UMaine athletic director Sue Tyler. A final decision is expected in August.

Mattessich said the applicants come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of coaching experience. He is pleased with the caliber of the applicants.

“We’ve received a mix of inquiries, from assistant coaches at major programs to head coaches of medium-level programs and some head coaches of Division II-III programs, that are very attractive,” Mattessich said. “There has been a broad spectrum of interest in regard to this position, which people have quickly found out has a lot of potential.”

Dunton’s credentials are typical of the kind of coach UMaine might expect to attract. In 1991, he had interviewed for an assistant’s position at UMaine. Keeling chose Mike LaPlante, who is a candidate for the opening and has been guaranteed the top assistant job if he doesn’t get the head position.

At Liberty, Dunton has been the Flames’ associate head coach for four years. Liberty, 17-12, was the Big South runner-up last season. He is intrigued by the possibilities.

“The thought of coming back home is exciting, and I understand the variables of the state of Maine,” Dunton said. “They’ve got talent, but they’ve got to rally the support of the state. They need to hire somebody who’s going to serve the state.”

Dunton, a three-sport performer at Baptist Bible College in Missouri, cut his coaching teeth in Anchorage, Alaska, where his teams compiled a combined 123-35 record and won two state titles.

In assessing the candidates, the committee is expected to place an emphasis on several criteria. Those traits include personal integrity, concern for student-athletes, a commitment to students’ academic performance, recruiting, outstanding interpersonal communication, public relations skills, and the ability to be a successful fund-raiser.

The University of Maine’s search for a baseball coach began in earnest Monday when the search committee held its first meeting. The nine-member panel, which is chaired by Bob Cobb, the dean of UMaine’s College of Education, seeks a replacement for longtime coach John Winkin, whose contract was not renewed by the university this summer.

Cobb said the committee established its criteria for evaluating applicants. The search committee wants candidates who have proven leadership and baseball experience, excellent communications skills, commitment to academics, the ability to market the baseball program and recruit top-quality student-athletes, and successful fund raising.

Knowledge of and commitment to compliance with NCAA rules is another prerequisite.

“The greatest challenge in the program is the extended indoor season that we’re faced with because of the weather,” Cobb said.

Cobb said he and the committee will sit down next week and pore through all the applications.

“We’ll follow that by doing a deeper review of those who are still in the running for the position,” Cobb said. “That may include telephwith those people, as well as all the reference checks.”

Cobb said he hopes to have decided on four or five top candidates by the end of this month, at which time the finalists will be invited to Orono for on-campus interviews. A final recommendation is expected before the start of school in September.