CEDAR FALLS - For the past 12 seasons, the head coaching position for the Northern Iowa women's basketball program has been anything but a revolving door.

Today that door is swinging open.

With longtime head coach Tony DiCecco's thank yous and parting words still hanging in the air at Peppers Grill and Sports Pub on Monday, speculation quickly shifted to his possible replacement, and there seems to be no limit on the search UNI athletic director Rick Hartzell is embarking on. He hopes to have a new coach in place by mid-April, if not sooner.

All three current assistant coaches - Allison (Starr) Pohlman, Brad Nelson and Kelley Jacobs - are assured of signing one-year deals with UNI to remain on staff next season. All three were given the opportunity to apply for the head job, but only Pohlman is going to pursue it.

If Pohlman doesn't get the job, Hartzell doesn't expect the retention of the current assistants to hinder his job search.

"If we bring someone in who is bothered by the fact that we're going to keep three assistants who are part of our family, then I don't think they fit into our family," Hartzell explained.

"There's some unique pieces to this, when they look at the schedule next year and see Minnesota and Iowa and Iowa State and Maryland. Somebody who's shaken by that is not the right person."

Among the external candidates believed to be on Hartzell's short list are: Kris Huffman, a Fort Dodge native and former Panther player who just guided Indiana-based DePauw University to the NCAA Division III national championship Saturday in her 13th season there; Tanya Warren, a former coach under DiCecco who has since served as an assistant at Missouri and is now the associate head coach at Creighton; and Marsha Frese, who is a Cedar Rapids native, the associate head coach at Illinois and the sister of Maryland head coach Brenda Frese.

Pohlman, who starred under DiCecco between 1996 and 2000, was elevated to associate head coach last offseason after serving for six years as an assistant at UNI. She has been in charge of the program's summer camps and works with the team's shooting guards and small forwards during the season.

"We're going to make this a national search," Hartzell said. "I think this is a little bit different situation than we've had in the past with Bobbi Petersen (in volleyball) or Ben Jacobson (in men's basketball). We're going to try and look far and wide to see what's out there.

"What I told Allison is she will be considered at the very top of the list, and we'll put her in the very middle of the process. If she wins the job, it'll be because she's the best person for the job and she beat out legitimate candidates. If she doesn't, then we'll hope that the next time is her time."

One early surprise was seventh-year assistant coach Brad Nelson opting not to apply for the head job.

"I think, for me, as a father of four, I really enjoy what I'm doing now," Nelson said. "There's just a whole different pressure (as the head coach) and, at this point, I just enjoy being an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and providing the insight.

"If I was single and had no kids, I'd probably pursue it pretty hard."

Hartzell said his phone was ringing often over the weekend, despite the fact no official announcement was made until Monday.

"The athletic world is a small community," he said with a grin. "The word's been out there for a couple days. A couple head coaches, a couple assistant coaches, a couple people with UNI ties, a couple people who just heard about it through friends - there will be no shortage of quality applicants. I expect over a hundred, maybe more than that."

"With Rick, I think his best attribute as an athletic director is hiring coaches, in addition to his principle of family," Nelson said. "And there's no doubt in my mind that Rick Hartzell will find a great head coach to lead our program, whether that's Allison or somebody else."

Whoever gets the head coaching position inherits a young but fairly talented roster. After the graduation of three starters from this year's team - Tara King, Jessie Biggs and Sarah Larsen - it is likely six of UNI's top nine players will be underclassmen next season.

"My vision overall is not exactly the same as what Tony's is," Pohlman said. "I wouldn't say it would be drastic changes, I just think defensive intensity will be a huge key and just changing the tempo of the game a little bit, trying to push the basketball a little more."

Contact Sean Hylton at (319) 291-1428 or sean.hylton@wcfcourier.com

In search of …

Tony DiCecco's replacement as UNI women's basketball head coach, here are a few of the candidates believed to be on AD Rick Hartzell's speed dial:

- ALLISON POHLMAN: Then known as Allison Starr, she was the first major recruit by DiCecco at UNI. The Wellsburg-Steamboat Rock High product still ranks third on the career scoring list with 1,463 points, second in steals with 274 and fifth in rebounding with 711. A UNI assistant for the past seven seasons, she was promoted to associate head coach last offseason.

- MARSHA FRESE: Currently associate head coach at Illinois, Frese is a former Miss Iowa Basketball from Cedar Rapids Washington and the sister of Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. She's another respected recruiter, having landed a pair of top 25-ranked classes in her first two seasons with the Illini. She starred at Rice and helped her sister dramatically change Minnesota's fortunes in 2001-02 before moving on to Maryland and Illinois.

- TANYA WARREN: An assistant under DiCecco for six seasons, she has also been an assistant at Iowa State and Missouri. She's currently the associate head coach at Creighton. She's considered a strong recruiter, having attracted three eventual WNBA players to Missouri while helping the Tigers to the 2004 NCAA tournament.

- KRIS HUFFMAN: Starring for UNI from 1986 to '89, she remains the school's seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,294 points. On Saturday, she led DePauw University to the NCAA Division III championship in her 13th season at the school. DePauw has posted 20 wins in eight of the last nine seasons, while making the D-III NCAA field six of the last 10 seasons.