DIPLOMACY. Northern Illinois head Women's Basketball coach Carol Hammerle announces her retirement.

“After 32 years of coaching, I believe it is in the best interest of the NIU women’s basketball program and myself to retire,” Hammerle said. “At this point, the team has a strong foundation of talented, young women who have the potential to be successful. I would like to thank Athletics Director Jim Phillips for his outstanding support throughout the season, as well as the administration, the university, and the community for the opportunity to be part of this program."

That's an interesting way of describing the situation.

Hammerle has produced at least one All-MAC performer in each of the last six seasons---Michele Johnson (Honorable Mention in 1999-2000 and Second-Team in 2000-01), Jennifer Youngblood (Honorable Mention in 2000-01 and 2003-04, plus Second-Team in 2001-02 and 2002-03), Kristan Knake (Honorable Mention in 2001-02), and Stephanie Raymond (Third-Team in 2004-05).

The news coverage of Ms. Raymond's honor is also interesting.

"I was a little disappointed because I was looking at the stat sheet and I thought that I could have been on the second team."

I trust that the athletic department is serious about its intentions to conduct a proper search.

A national search will be conducted for Hammerle’s successor, according to NIU Director of Athletics Jim Phillips.

In the past ten years, young women have been denied the opportunity to develop as players at Northern Illinois University. In both of the previous searches, the search committee hired an individual with a strong record at a lower level of competition who also symbolized the university's commitment to diversifying its staff. But are 350 wins in lower divisions the athletic equivalent of fifty articles in Rivista Internazionale Numero Due di Bovini? Will the outcome of this year's search be more of the same?