The University of Maine expects to hire a new men’s basketball coach early next week, director of athletics Ken Ralph said Wednesday.
University of Maine Athletic Director Ken Ralph says he plans to interview five candidates for the men’s basketball head coaching position. University of Maine photo
Ralph said he had interviewed three candidates as of Wednesday morning and expected to conduct two more interviews before the end of the week. He declined to name any of the candidates.
“We were very deliberate about not starting the interview process until the conference tournaments were over. We didn’t want to be a distraction,” Ralph said. “Because some of the coaches we’re looking at are assistant coaches, we didn’t want to take away from their focus of getting their teams ready for their conference championships.”
The new coach will replace Richard Barron, who stepped down last month with four games remaining in the regular season. Barron coached the Black Bears for four seasons, compiling a 21-75 record, after serving seven seasons as head coach of Maine’s women’s basketball team.
Jai Steadman, who joined Barron’s staff last September, has been the interim head coach over the last month.
Around 100 people expressed interest in the job, Ralph said, some of whom UMaine solicited.
“We really focused on a pool of about 40 (candidates), and narrowed that down to 10,” Ralph said.
The new coach will be paid approximately the same as Barron, Ralph said. Barron has one year remaining on a contract that pays him an annual salary of $165,000. Last month, Ralph said Barron will be paid in full.
Maine went 6-23 this season, with three wins against sub-Division I opponents – UMaine-Farmington, UMaine-Fort Kent and the University of New England. The Black Bears went 3-15 in America East and failed to qualify for the conference tournament. The 2021-22 season was Maine’s 12th consecutive without a winning record, and the Black Bears have not won a conference tournament game since 2005.
The new coach will be greeted by in-state talent in the first recruiting class. Edward Little High senior John Shea, who was named Mr, Maine Basketball on Saturday, announced he will continue his basketball career with the Black Bears. A 6-foot-6 forward, Shea averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds per game this past season. South Portland’s Owen Maloney has been offered a spot as a preferred walk-on.
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