Maine’s Palombo-McCallie Offered Long Beach State Coaching Job

Long Beach State has offered Maine Coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie its women’s basketball coaching position and expects her decision no later than Monday, a school administration source said Saturday.

Palombo-McCallie and her husband, John McCallie, returned to Maine on Saturday morning after touring the campus and interviewing with the search committee, school officials and boosters Friday. Time constraints prevented a scheduled meeting with President Robert Maxson.

Long Beach has created a contract that will almost double Palombo-McCallie’s current salary of about $62,000 per year. The multiyear Long Beach package will pay her about $110,000 annually, and could reach as much $120,000 after the first year if Palombo-McCallie realizes certain performance-based incentives.

Palombo-McCallie, 29, guided Maine to its first NCAA tournament this season in only her third season as coach.

If Palombo-McCallie declines the offer, Athletic Director Dave O’Brien and Cindy Masner, assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator, will refocus their efforts on four candidates. Included in that group is Marianne Stanley, the former USC coach who enthusiastically indicated interest in the job when it opened, but didn’t apply until Thursday.