Per university hiring procedures, UW can’t just give Gard the job without publicly posting the position and accepting applications from interested candidates. Securing interviews with current head coaches could be tricky with the postseason fast approaching.

Doherty compared it to football, where jobs often open up when the regular season ends.

“For people that are interested in the position and that want the position, they’re going to find a way to make that known and for people that we want to reach out to, we’re going to find a way to do that,” Doherty said. “When’s a good time? I think now you want to make sure you’re on top of it. If you wait until after the season’s over, you may find yourself in a situation where you no longer have access to people that you may want to consider.”

Gard downplayed the news of the posting when he met with reporters following practice Friday.

“You knew it was coming at some point,” Gard said. “It doesn’t affect me. Like I said from day one, that was part of the process.”