Cincinnati has a new coach

And its not Kevin Borseth or Curt Miller. (The University of Cincinnati had requested permission to speak with both of them.)

2nd interview for Borseth

University of Wisconsin Green Bay's Kevin Borseth has apparently had a second interview for the open head coaching position.

Congratulations Ta'Shia Walker & Krista Clement

Both were named to the Academic All Big Ten Team.

Coaching musical chairs

According to this article, Kevin Borseth has received a second interview with Michigan as well as EMU's Suzy Merchant. In addition, former U of M coach Sue Guevara is a finalist for the Central Michigan position (as is one of Borseth's former assistants).

My pick for a new coach....

Not that it matters in the slightest. I really don't have any problem with the known candidates (Merchant, Miller, Borseth & Balcomb). Initially, Melanie Balcomb was my first choice, simply because of her experience as a head coach in a "power" conference. I'm inclined to believe that one of the things that caused problems for Cheryl Burnett was underestimating the athleticism of the Big 10 and what that meant for 16 games in conference play. That wouldn't be an issue for Balcomb, though it might not for any of the others either.

Unfortunately, Michigan needs more than a winning coach, though that would be an excellent start. This is a program that really needs to be built almost from the ground up. There is a rather limited tradition of success, and not exactly a large fan base. Competition for entertainment dollars (and even people's attention) is much greater in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti/metro Detroit than it is in Green Bay or Bowling Green. There is no doubt some of the support (new practice facility?) has to come from the Athletic Department, but the coach plays a role too.

To be honest, I don't know that much about Balcomb's history at Xavier or the state of the program while she was there. She might still be the best candidate. Borseth appears to have had some success at Green Bay, as Miller has at BG. Merchant and Eastern Michigan have struggled with attendance, despite having the new convocation center.

In other words, this is a really long way of saying "I don't know".

2nd Interview for Merchant

According to the Detroit News, Suzy Merchant is being given a 2nd interview.

Not really Michigan related

But a nice article about Cheryl Burnett's first final four team.