UNLV AD panel to trim field

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, July 22, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.

And then there were three?

Or will it be four? Or five?

The 16-person UNLV athletic director recruitment and screening committee will meet on Wednesday afternoon at the school's Richard Tam Alumni Center to try to whittle the 12 finalists to become the school's ninth AD to no more than a handful.

"I think what we are going to do hopefully is reduce our list of candidates to recommend to (UNLV President Carol Harter)," said Andy Fry, chairman of the screening committee. "The president wanted us to forward her the names of three to five people for the job. That's what we hope to accomplish at this meeting."

Fry said the committee has been reviewing references of about a dozen finalists that emerged from the screening committee's last meeting July 10. Harter, who would like to have a new athletic director in place before UNLV's football season opener Aug. 30 against Toledo, will ultimately make the final choice.

Fry said he will not reveal the names of the finalists after Wednesday's meeting.

"Before we release any names we have to contact these people and make sure that they are still interested in the position," he said.

He was unsure when candidates would begin making campus visits to meet with the screening committee and Harter.

"It's going to depend on their schedule and principally the president's schedule," Fry said. "But I'm still pretty confident that we can have this process completed by Aug. 30."