Who will sit in Flanagan’s seat?

Athletics Director Paul Krebs called it one of the “most desirable jobs in the country.”

So it’s easy to understand why interim head coach Yvonne Sanchez is so attracted to the opening. Sanchez, after spending the last 12 seasons as Flanagan’s right-hand assistant coach, is the only confirmed candidate in the hunt to find Don Flanagan’s successor.

Sanchez interviewed Monday with Krebs for the job, and she said she expects to know within a week whether she’ll get the position, but Krebs didn’t give her a timetable.

“Without going into specifics, I thought it went really well for me,” she said. “… As well as can be expected. Now it’s just a waiting game.”
How long that wait will be? One conference coach speculated that a new coach would likely be named in the coming week so as not to impact recruiting.

UNM began a national coaching search after Flanagan stepped down April 4. So far in his tenure, Krebs has made it a habit not to talk about head coaching applicants. He has stood by his word. A UNM spokeswoman said Tuesday that Krebs would not confirm names of applicants.

West Texas A&M’s head coach Krista Gerlich is the most recent name to surface as a potential finalist for the UNM job, the Albuquerque Journal reported Tuesday.

The Journal reported Sunday that Texas A&M associate head coach Vic Schaefer is also among the candidates for the head coaching job, as well as Bowling Green’s head coach Curt Miller, but the coaches haven’t publicly confirmed their interest.

Miller has been linked to the UNM job because of his affiliation with Krebs. He hired Miller at Bowling Green in 2001 while Krebs was athletics director.

BGSU Athletics Director Greg Christopher wouldn’t comment when asked whether UNM had contacted him to ask for permission to speak with Miller, according to a Toledo Blade report published Saturday. Christopher told the newspaper that he didn’t “make a habit of speculating on job openings at other schools.”

Miller said in a statement to the paper that it’s “flattering” to have his named mentioned in connection with the UNM opening.

Sanchez said she’s hoping the search won’t stray too far from Albuquerque.

“I know there are a number of strong applicants out there,” she said. “But I have a passion for this place, and I don’t think anyone is as passionate about New Mexico women’s basketball as I am.”

Sanchez said she envisions that the Lobos can build on their past success. Recruiting is certainly one of Sanchez’s specialties, after signing former Highland High School standout and NJCAA All-American Deeva Vaughn on Tuesday. Vaughn comes to UNM after spending two seasons at Northern Oklahoma College.

“Deeva is a very good player and she brings experience to the team right away,” Sanchez said. “She’ll complement what we have already in place.”
Now all the Lobos need is a coach.

Ryan Tomari contributed to this report .