Chasse Conque's first coaching search as UALR's athletic director has coincided with one of the athletic department's shining moments, but the women's basketball team's presence in the NCAA Tournament hasn't held him back from getting started on a search for a new men's basketball coach.
Speaking publicly for the first time since firing Steve Shields after 12 seasons last week, Conque said the process of finding a replacement has begun and he would like to have someone hired in about three weeks.
Conque said he would like to have a hire made the week after the Final Four is played April 4-6 in Indianapolis. At the latest, Conque said he wants a coach by April 17, the start of a spring recruiting period.
"You'd like to do it as soon as possible and to work as quickly and efficiently as you can," Conque said before the UALR women's team's 57-54 loss to Arizona State on Monday night in Tempe, Ariz. "Those timelines, you set them and sometimes you've got to move them depending on the situations and who you're talking too, but that's what I'm thinking at this point."
Conque declined to comment on specific reasons for his decision to fire Shields, the school's all-time winningest coach who had one year left on his contract. Shields compiled a 192-178 record in 12 seasons with one NCAA Tournament appearance, but the Trojans were 13-18 this year and had losing seasons in three of his last four years.
Conque expressed Monday what he thought was possible while speaking just minutes before the UALR women's team tipped off in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Conque pointed to the women's program, which has made four NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons, and Sun Belt rival Georgia State, which won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 24 years last week, as barometers.
"That is what we aspire to be," Conque said. "We want to be at the top of our league year in and year out and have a good run and hopefully have a shot at making the NCAAs on a routine basis. ... It's a game-changer for your university."
Conque, who took over Jan. 20, said the eventual goal is to see the program return to the type of succes it experienced under former coach Mike Newell, who led it to the NCAA Tournament in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
The athletic director noted there are things in place now that give the program an even better chance of succeeding than during those years under Newell, such as the Jack Stephens Center. In fact, Conque said the nine-year-old arena that seats 5,600 will be a key part of his sales pitch to potential candidates.
One thing he'd like to see changed is the atmosphere at the arena. UALR averaged 1,408 fans in 16 home games this season, the lowest in the Sun Belt and the lowest since the Stephens Center opened in 2005.
"We want to rally our fan base," Conque said. "We know that if you get 4,000 in there a night that the place gets electric, and we just haven't had that in the last few years."
Conque declined to say if any of Shields' assistants had expressed interest in the job. He said head-coaching experience isn't necessary, but a proven ability to recruit, whether as a head coach or as an assistant, will be a priority.
"You want somebody that's a winner, somebody that is proven, and it boils down to recruiting," he said. "That's a big part of this."
Conque said he has yet to formally interview any candidate and he is still in the evaluation process.
"It's an important hire," Conque said.
Sports on 03/25/2015