BGSU coaching search to start soon

Athletics Director Christopher to consult with Miller

Curt Miller and Jennifer Roos worked together for 11 seasons. Roos could be a candidate at Bowling Green to replace Miller.

BOWLING GREEN -- As chairman of the NCAA women's basketball committee, Greg Christopher currently is in Denver, site of the women's Final Four.

And that puts the Bowling Green State University athletics director right in the middle of a pool of candidates for his next job hire, since Curt Miller left the Falcons Wednesday to become the head women's basketball coach at Indiana.

"This has happened so quickly here, I think it goes without saying over the next week that I am going to be here, I probably will have some conversations," Christopher admitted in a phone conversation Wednesday. "I would characterize [the conversation] at this point as more informal than formal."

Miller leaves after 11 seasons, and he leaves the Bowling Green program in strong condition. This past season the Falcons finished with a 24-7 record and 14-2 mark in Mid-American Conference play, giving them an unprecedented eight-straight MAC divisional titles along with seven outright MAC regular-season crowns during that span.

Christopher said BG will conduct a national search for Miller's replacement, and he said Wednesday that head coaching experience wasn't a "must" for the next coach.

"I don't think you can pigeon-hole yourself into any kind of specific candidate," he said. "We are committed to continued excellence. We want to win MAC championships, and this program has a national profile.

"I think it's more about leadership and the ability to be the CEO of a program. I think you have seen, over the years, successful coaches come in all shapes and sizes."

One logical candidate to replace Miller is associate head coach Jennifer Roos, who served as Miller's top assistant at BG for all 11 seasons he was there.

"We've had this type of conversation really the last few years when Curt has been a candidate at other places, and I believe we're on the same page -- she knows exactly where she stands," Christopher said of Roos. "In short, I think the world of Jennifer. If she wants to be a candidate … I fully expect her to be a finalist and in the mix.

"She also needs the credibility of going through a complete search process, because I think she understands we've got to have that goal of finding the best head coach for BGSU women's basketball."

Simone Eli, a Genoa native who is a junior on the team, said the team would support having Roos replace Miller.

"We love coach Roos," Eli said. "If she had the opportunity to be the head coach, I think she would do a wonderful job.

"When she took over for coach Miller this season for a few games, she was phenomenal."

Miller suffered a mild stroke in late January, and Roos served as head coach for two contests. The Falcons won both, in overtime at Central Michigan and at home against Northern Illinois.

Because the season is over, and the Falcons have only one scholarship available, Christopher said he didn't feel the need to name an interim coach at this time.

"Depending on how long the search takes [determines] whether or not we need an actual interim head coach," he said. "There is probably no program that's better positioned to handle transition in women's basketball just because they do such a great job of running their program."

Christopher said he will get "feedback" on potential coaches from a variety of sources -- including Miller.

"We will get feedback from constituents around the program, including the team," Christopher said. "And then we'll get into the marketplace and talk with [women's basketball] leaders, that would include other coaches, people with USA Basketball.

"Curt and I we still have to have more than a handful of conversations probably over the next few days on some transition things. Believe me, I hope to get Curt's feedback on the position here in the next couple of days."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.