My guess is that Muffet will issue a statement on all the

coaches' responsibilities when the new assistant is hired. Everyone is involved in scouting and game preparation. Niele was given the most challenging teams to prepare for, but there were other games when Beth or Carol took the lead. How do I know this? Bob Nagle does a post-game radio interview with the assistant who did the scout and prep for the game.

While every coach needs to be on the road in July, the recruiting coordinator normally travels more frequently over the course of the year. I could see Beth coordinating with the young assistant doing more of the road running during the winter. As former head coaches, Beth and Carol have seen it all and done it all.

I would like to see the new assistant with existing connections in states such as Texas or California or Florida.

As you noted earlier, Ashley Barlow is probably the best qualified of the ND grads.