The Kansas University athletic department is in the beginning stages of another coaching search, this time for a women’s basketball coach.

As with any fantasy GM and/or real athletic director, I have a list of five names of potential candidates in my pocket. They range from the best in the business, to an extremely inexperienced but promising coach, to a living legend, to more main-stream profiles.

In order, here’s whom I’d call to test their level of interest:

1. Geno Auriemma: No active basketball coach can match the UConn women’s coach’s résumé. Not in the NBA or any other league. Without even leaving his office, Geno could pick up his phone and recruit the best player in New York City, Dallas and Kansas City every year. His first national title would come in his third year, and many more would follow. Allen Fieldhouse would be packed for every game, and he already has tons of friends in Lawrence who used to work with him at UConn.

He has three years and a guaranteed $6.85 million just for showing up remaining on his contract. If in each of the next three seasons he wins the regular-season title, conference-tournament title and national title, he will take home $10.275 million in the next three seasons. It would take topping that to get him, but don’t count out KU from having the capability to do so. After all, football coach David Beaty’s annual salary of $800,000 is closer to that of a top-tier women’s basketball coach than a football coach. So KU can pay its football coach competitive women’s basketball wages and pay its women’s basketball coach football wages.

Endless stories about Geno and feel-good quotes from his KU players talking about what it’s like having a living legend dropped into their gymnasium would promote the program so extensively a women’s basketball ticket would become a hot item overnight. There wouldn’t be much competition for media attention since Beaty has placed a gag order on his players throughout the entirety of spring football, with no media access to the athletes either before or after the spring football game, assuming there are enough bodies to actually have one. (Even legendary Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, notoriously stingy with media access, allows reporters to interview players in advance of spring football, then in advance of the spring game, then after the spring game. And he doesn’t need any help during the fall in filling the stadium named after him.)

Naturally, you can’t insult Auriemma by interviewing him, even one-on-one, much less over the phone by a committee. Any question anyone might have can be answered by his résumé. The man has won nine national titles and been to the Final Four 15 times. Offer him $3 million a year, plus incentives that could bring it to $4 million. If he says, “No thank you,” or even if he says, “Bleep no!” move on to the next phone call and pat yourself on the back for trying.

2. Lynette Woodard: Olympian and leading scorer in KU basketball history who was so skilled she became the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters, must be called to test her interest in interviewing for the job. If she would like to interview, listen closely to her plan for how she would make KU competitive again. The questions are obvious: How would you assemble your staff? What would be your plan for recruiting? What coaches impress you the most from an X’s and O’s standpoint? Would you be willing to visit every dorm, fraternity house and sorority house on campus to give a ball-handling exhibition followed by an inspirational speech aimed at getting students to commit to season tickets? Can I have a list of five names assistant coach candidates?

If the plan or the passion doesn’t sound quite right, reach back into the pocket for the next name.

3. John Ontjes: Holy cow, what an amazing job this former Oklahoma point guard has done coaching the women’s basketball program at Hutchinson Community College! He has them ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 33-0 record. In his eighth year at the school, he has a phenomenal 254-25 record. You don’t accomplish that without knowing how to identify talent, recruit to your school and coach it to play unselfish, relentless basketball. On paper, he’s an amazing candidate, provided he understands where the interest level for Kansas women’s basketball is at the moment. He’ll have to do better than yell-leader-type speeches — “Give me a Rock! Give me a Chalk! Louder!” to alumni groups to promote the program. After generating interest in the offseason, his inevitable winning should take care of the rest.

4. Suzy Merchant: Michigan State has made the NCAA Tournament the past six seasons, but slipped to 16-15 this year. One rough season does not kill a candidacy. The charismatic Merchant, whose smile lights up arenas, is a proven winner and promoter. One problem: She’s a native of Traverse City, Michigan. It’s a state packed with friendly people, and it can be difficult to get a Michigander to move from Michigan.

5. Claire Coggins: Third-year Kansas State assistant coach is in her first year as a full-time, recruiting assistant. For a school without a winning tradition to sell, it’s better to get a bright, charismatic, knowledgeable prospect a year too soon than to wait too long and watch her get scooped up by another program. Coggins exhibited stellar leadership and outstanding performance on the court and in the classroom during her years at K-State. She has a real presence, and with a veteran X’s and O’s assistant as well as another with rich Texas recruiting ties, such a hire could be a very cagey one in so many ways.