College of the Redwoods is fast closing in on a new full-time men’s basketball head coach, with interviews ongoing this week.

A total of nine candidates will interview for the position, which the school hopes to fill quickly.

The interview process began on Wednesday and continues through Friday, with a decision likely to be made by the end of next week and announced to the public early the following week on Feb. 26 or 27.

The position became open when second-year head coach Aaron Hungerford was let go late last year after being charged with suspicion of driving under the influence,

Darren Turpin is the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Hungerford was the seventh head coach of the program in the past 16 years, since the legendary Bill Treglown retired, and CR Athletic Director Bob Brown is hoping the new hire will bring back some of that old stability.

“The biggest thing that’s important to me is to re-establish some consistency,” Brown said, while taking a break from the interview process on Thursday afternoon, adding that he’s looking for someone to “stick around a few years.”

The AD, however, is more than happy with the pool of applicants.

“I’ve been very impressed with them,” he said. “We’ve had five to this point, two more today and two more tomorrow, and we’ve had a good selection of both local candidates that have applied and two or three from out of the area.

“I feel very confident we’ll be able to get things turned around.”

The Corsairs have struggled to field a consistently competitive team in recent times, and are closing in on a winless campaign this winter, heading into their final two games with a record of 0-24.

The interviews are being held the same week the school received news that California Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget includes funding for CR to construct new creative arts and physical education/gymnasium complexes.

The Corsairs host Lassen in their final home game on Saturday.

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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.