Wren Baker took over the West Virginia athletic department with an idea on how he is going to handle coaching hires.

And while he didn’t expect it to happen so fast, he was thrust into one three months on the job when Dawn Plitzuweit left her post atop the women's basketball program after a year to take the same job at Minnesota.

That search is underway and Baker outlined his criteria when it comes to hiring moving forward.

The athletic director has been responsible for hiring 19 different coaches during his time in the position and while he will use a search firm he ultimately will be the one to hire the coach and sort out the candidates. The firm is typically used to help him streamline the process.

Baker also forms a committee, which is diverse and made up of those with historical knowledge of the program that the coach is being hired for as well as understanding the sport.

“And I encourage them to challenge me,” he said.

That initial screening committee helps to narrow the search and from that group they’ll be a smaller group selected and then the interview process will begin.

Baker and his committee will go through all 31 different leagues in order to look at possible coaching candidates. The search will focus on head coaches both those are the power, mid and low levels as well as assistants at the highest level.

While natural geography in terms of high school recruiting will always remain important, it’s now further down the totem pole than it might have been before the rise of the transfer portal. That is something that will also be a factor as coaches must show an ability to understand and utilize the database.

Especially in a climate where roster turnover is a constant.

“You want someone with experience with the portal that understands how it works,” he said.

The goal is to find a coach as soon as possible in order to help put the current players minds at ease, but it’s not something that Baker will rush as he wants to turn over every stone in the process.

As part of that, Baker plans to receive input from the players as well. And while he doesn’t necessarily want specific name suggestions because it’s human nature to want what you know, the desired overall qualities and characteristics are important coming from those it will impact.

“Invite them to share any thoughts they have so we can build that into a profile,” he said.

And ultimately, the commitment must go both ways in terms of both financially with buyouts as well as the desire to want to be in the program.

“Tell me why they want to be at West Virginia. What research, homework, what you need to know and why you want to be here,” Baker said.

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