newsminer.com

The field is narrowed and the calls have started as the search for the next Alaska women’s basketball head coach continues.

The list of candidates is down to 10 as the Nanooks look for the successor to Lynne Andrew.

“I’m waiting for the hiccup to come and it hasn’t happened yet,” said University of Alaska Fairbanks assistant athletic drector Pamm Hubbard, who’s in charge of the coaching search. “We’re still moving at a good clip.”

According to Hubbard, the 10 remaining candidates include two NCAA Division I coaches, five D-II assistant and head coaches, one D-III coach, one NAIA coach and one junior college coach.

“I think we’ve got a great pool,” Hubbard said. “I thought we had a great pool at 39. ... Oh yeah, we’re very happy with it.”

Hubbard started telephone interviews with the remaining candidates Wednesday and hopes to finish them up today and have an idea by Friday whom she wants to bring up to Fairbanks.

In-person interviews will hopefully start the following week, Hubbard said.

The candidates are vying to replace Andrew, who resigned from her post atop the women’s program in early April.

With Andrew resigning before basketball’s signing period, the Nanooks have no incoming freshman for next season — a problem that won’t be remedied until they find a new coach.

The new coach also will have to hire an assistant as assistant coach Laura Gonsalves resigned along with Andrew.

“I’ve kept to my schedule up until now. Hopefully it doesn’t fall to hell any time soon. I’d like them to start July 1 so they can start recruiting if they need to,” Hubbard said. “And they’ve got scholarships to work with, which is good.”

Hubbard says that the university still plans on holding public forums for the candidates when they come up for their in-person interviews similar to the forums held when Alaska filled the head hockey coaching position earlier this spring.