There is a school of thought, apparently growing, that the University of Hawai'i is obliged to hire a female to fill the head coaching vacancy on its women's basketball team — not by executive fiat so much as by dint of circumstances.

In fact, there are people on — and around — campus who will tell you that hiring a woman should be the requirement, not an option, when it comes to replacing Jim Bolla.

To be sure, UH has some catching up to do on the long-running imbalance of male and female coaches in the athletic department and here is a golden opportunity to make an important stride in that direction. But Job One for this position and, indeed, any opening on campus, needs to be getting the best, most qualified person available.

Period. Female — or male.

The players who will represent UH next season — and beyond — deserve the best coach the school can provide. After the recent turmoil, there may be no program among the 19 that UH fields in NCAA competition where players are more owed a positive experience, just as there are few programs where there is more room for improvement in the standings, at the box office or in public perception.

Those are points to keep in mind as the search committee meets for sit-down interviews with finalists this week, a process that could result in recommendations to athletic director Jim Donovan possibly as soon as the weekend.

With Bolla alleging Title IX deficiencies in his wrongful termination suit there are reasons aplenty for UH to also review where it stands on a couple of fronts. For example, only four of UH's 19 head coaches (11 are women's or coed sports) are women. And, three of them are Carmyn James, who coaches track and field, indoor track and cross country.

Moreover of the six previous head coaches of the women's basketball team (Jerry Busone served two stints), just one, Patsy Dung, the first one, has been a woman.

Of course, the best and most enduring head coach of Rainbow Wahine basketball was a male, Vince Goo, whose 17 years set the standard in the sport in Manoa just as Dave Shoji has commendably done in women's volleyball.

When it came time to select a successor for Goo five years ago, then-athletic director Herman Frazier had targeted a woman for the post. She eventually pulled out. Though other qualified females remained in the pool.

For what UH will be asking of its players and the program this time around, it behooves UH to pick the best coach it can find to elevate the program.

If that should happen to be a woman, especially one that can be a positive role model, so much the better.