The next head men's basketball coach at Minnesota State Moorhead could be on campus next week.
Dragons athletic director Doug Peters said Thursday he hopes to have finalists for the vacant position on campus by next week for interviews.
Due to state privacy laws, applicants' names aren't public record until they become finalists.
"We're preparing to do phone interviews and we're planning to bring finalists to campus next week," Peters said.
Sylvia Barnier, associate director of athletics for MSUM, is serving as the chair for the seven-person search committee.
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Peters said the committee has reviewed the applicant pool and narrowed the field to phone interviews.
Peters said he isn't sure how many finalists will be invited to campus.
"Whatever the committee recommends, I'm fluid with that," Peters said. "It really depends."
Peters said he would like to name a new coach "as soon as possible," after finalists have been named and interviewed. But, Peters added having a new coach in place by the end of next week "is probably a little too aggressive."
The job opened in March when former head coach Stu Engen didn't have his contract renewed after eight seasons at the helm.
Engen posted a 102-120 record at MSUM.
The Dragons were 10-17 overall last season under Engen.
While the school can't discuss applicants until finalists are named, former Dragons men's basketball star Brett Beeson told The Forum in mid-April that he has applied for the job.
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Beeson, who played for the Dragons from 1991-1996, finished his career ranked No. 3 on the school's career scoring list with 1,825 points.
Readers can reach Forum reporter
Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513.
