Mike Bobinski sees it this way: When you have a women's basketball coaching vacancy and interested parties are calling faster than you can return messages, your program's in a good place.

Melanie Balcomb speaks at a Vanderbilt press conference Tuesday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        “It's tough to lose a coach, but it's an exciting opportunity we're presented to make a great hire,” the Xavier athletic director said.

        Melanie Balcomb, the winningest coach in the program's history (135-78 in seven seasons), was introduced Tuesday as Vanderbilt's new coach.

        Bobinski said he hopes to have a coach within two to three weeks. He said he and senior associate AD Dawn Rogers will keep the field wide open, though he won't discuss specific candidates.

        Here are a few coaches who might get a first look from XU:

        • Tricia Cullop: The Evansville head coach, who turned 31 last month, is among the youngest coaches in the country. She is 28-30 in two years at Evansville — which had struggled greatly before her arrival — prior to which she was Balcomb's assistant at XU for four seasons.

        • Kevin McGuff: The Notre Dame assistant is a native of Hamilton and spent three years as a Miami University assistant. He helped the Irish to the 2001 national championship. In 1999, he was named the third-best assistant in the country by Women's Basketball Journal.

        • Mark Ehlen: Before Balcomb, he was the winningest coach in XU history at 122-130 in nine seasons (1986-87 to '94-95). He is 157-55 in seven seasons at Toledo, including four NCAA Tournaments and one WNIT. He was approached for the Vandy job but pulled his name from consid eration.

        • Tracy Roller: Ball State's coach went 24-8 this season and reached the WNIT in her rookie season.

        • Kathy McConnell-Miller: She's 39-49 in three seasons at Tulsa, and her team's 17-13 mark this season was the best in school history. She interviewed for the Vandy job before pulling her name from consideration.

        • Cheryl Burnett: She resigned last month after 15 seasons at Southwest Missouri State. She has a 319-136 career record and took SMS to two Final Fours.

        • Carol Owens and Gale Valley: Assistants at Notre Dame and Duke, respectively, they are up-and-comers in the coaching ranks.

        The XU job is different from the one Balcomb inherited in 1995. Then, XU played in Schmidt Fieldhouse (built in 1928) and had just one full-time and one part-time assistant. Now it plays in the $46 million Cintas Center, and there are three full-time assistants and a director of women's basketball operations.

        Plus, three consecutive NCAA Tournaments — in cluding the 2001 Elite Eight run — stamped XU's place on the map.

        “The commitment by the administration is there,” ESPN women's basketball analyst Beth Mowins said. “It's an attractive job.”

        The six returnees from XU's 12-19 team this past season met with Bobinski on Tuesday to discuss the search.

        “It was a shock for all of us when Coach left,” junior guard Amy Waugh said. “It's an uneasy stage. But I have great confidence in Mr.Bobinski.”

        Kristin Schneider, who has assisted Balcomb the past eight years, will accompany Balcomb to Vandy. Vicky Picott, an XU assistant for two years, has been offered an assistant's job at Vandy but not yet decided on it, Bobinski said.

        Vanderbilt women's basketball Web site

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