Dalton State College’s search for a men's basketball coach is entering its final phases.
Roadrunners athletic director Derek Waugh said Thursday the phone interviews stage is complete and the next stage is trimming a list of eight candidates to finalists for in-person interviews.
“It’ll be from two to four,” said Waugh, who hopes to have a list of the finalists by Monday so that he can begin setting up on-campus interviews.
In an email to The Daily Citizen earlier this week, Waugh said he had more than 60 inquiries about the job spanning “every level of basketball from high school to pro” and around 25 official applications. He also gave a summary of qualifications among those still in contention.
“Among the eight finalists, they account for 31 NCAA tournament appearances (as head or assistant coaches), two NIT appearances and 19 conference championships,” he wrote.
Dalton State is making progress toward relaunching athletics, with men’s basketball the early focal point. The school has not had a men’s basketball team in 30 years, but expects to for the 2013-14 school year, when women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s tennis are also expected to begin play in the NAIA.
When Waugh was hired in February, he specified the men’s basketball hire as one of the first on his to-do list.
Waugh is not alone in the search, though. He formed a six-person committee to help him look over resumés, help narrow the list to eight candidates and offer recommendations for further vetting.
“I wanted to create a diverse group of individuals both in tenure at Dalton State and also perspective on the future at Dalton State,” he said Thursday. “I think the consensus (of the committee) was two-fold — we have a great list of eight candidates and Dalton State will have a great men’s basketball coach.”
Those on the committee were: Richard Hennier, associate professor of management and marketing in the School of Business and former NAIA national champion in basketball; Garrett Burgner, director of campus recreation; Jami Hall, director of student life; Jonathan Johnson, director of residential life; Nick Henry, assistant vice president of fiscal affairs; and Cheryl Nuckolls, administrative assistant from the School of Nursing and 1980 Dalton Junior College alum.
Waugh said the committee took part in each of the eight phone interviews via “hour-long conference calls.” Now it is up to him and Dalton State President John Schwenn to make a hire, which he hopes to announce “before the end of the month.”
“(The committee members) have given me their recommendations and I’m moving forward with it now,” Waugh said. “It will be my decision in consultation with Dr. Schwenn.”
This will be the second hire Waugh has made in his six months heading the Roadrunners. In June, he brought on Richard Skeel as the senior associate athletic director.
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Waugh ready to trim candidates
Dalton State nearing hire for men's basketball coach
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State Champions!
Dalton High School soccer players, let by Alan Lopez (21) storm off the field after winning the state championship in a 5-0 victory over Southeast Whitfield. (Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen)
CARROLLTON — With three minutes to play in Friday’s Georgia High School Association Class 4A boys soccer championship, both teams already knew the verdict.
Continued ...
Dalton’s fans were chanting “Undefeated!” Southeast Whitfield’s fans could only root their Raiders to a disappointing conclusion.
The Catamounts took the lead less than three minutes into a 5-0 victory against intracounty rival Southeast at the University of West Georgia’s Ra-Lin Field. - The final roadblock topples SE
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