In 2008, Pam Gohl took over the Minnesota State women's basketball program as interim coach, and she led the Mavericks to a magical, national-championship season.
In the two years following that, the program slumped, and it seemed that any benefit derived from winning that title was lost.
But last season, the Mavericks rebounded and qualified for the national tournament again.
As Gohl's four-year tenure as head coach ends, now that she's taking an administrative job in the athletic department at the University of Sioux Falls, Minnesota State women's basketball again seems to be on firm ground, a contender in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and relevant in the region.
The new coach, whomever that may be, will not have to overhaul the program, only fine-tune some things and keep the momentum building.
The Mavericks were 18-10 last season, 14-9 in the Northern Sun, and has only three seniors who won't be around. Center Laura Weber was a workhorse in the lane who blossomed as a senior, Jennie Noreen was a tireless worker who was a solid contributor over all four seasons, and Sarah Wiens hit a lot of big 3-pointers off the bench.
That means everyone else is back, including Ali Wilkinson, the team's top scorer and rebounder who injured her knee in the first month of the season and should be eligible for a medical redshirt.
Point guard Aubrey Davis and forward Jamie Bresnahan emerged as quality players during their freshmen seasons, and guard Ali Hoefer has started 42 games in her two seasons, becoming more of an offensive threat last year.
The biggest question on the roster is at center, where Alyssa Van Klei or Lexie Ulfers are logical choices to fill in for Weber.
Who knows which incoming recruit might step up and contribute?
A few names have emerged early in the coaching search process.
St. Peter native Megan Vogel has been coaching for only three years, but she caught some eyes when she spent the 2009-10 season as a volunteer assistant with the Mavericks.
Jess Abrahams was an assistant at Minnesota State before spending the last four seasons at Minnesota Duluth. Shannon Swanson (formerly Schonrock) has been an assistant at Winona State for six seasons, and her University of Minnesota connections, as well as her roots in Blue Earth, could make her an attractive candidate.
Certainly, other qualified candidates will show interest in this job, given the level of talent on the roster.
That might not have been the case a couple of years ago.
Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or email at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChadCourrier.
Preakness Day 2013
Nolan Arenado Fitting Right In With The Rockies
WQAM Audio: Lamar Miller's goal? 1,500 rushing yards
Red Wings beat Blackhawks 4-1 in game 2 of Western Conference Semifinals
Orb heads Preakness field
Betting at the Preakness
Amico: Grizzlies/Spurs series preview
Three and Out: Knick's Bench
Loud Mouths: Venting Machine
Does Orb have a legit shot at the Triple Crown?
Stuart: You gotta move on and win your home games
Green: 'Winning is a mentality; we are not satisfied'
UW Women's Golf team ready to shoot for more NCAA history
Bogut: 'It was a roller-coaster of a season for me'
Pavelski on 0-2 hole: 'We gotta put it behind us and move on'
Curry on Jack & Landry: 'I want them back'
Thompson: 'We've got all the right pieces to win a championship'
Video: Blackhawks' Bickell on Game 2 approach
Barnes: I want to improve by post game and ball-handling
Curry: I don't look like the typical NBA player; I look 18
