In-person interviews for the Hawaii men’s basketball coaching job will begin Friday between athletic director-in-waiting David Matlin and candidates at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The posting period for the job ended on Thursday, the same day Matlin flew out to the biggest scene in college basketball. Matlin is still technically the executive director of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, though he has taken the lead in directing the basketball search as he prepares for his first official day on April 27.

"I’m very happy with the caliber we’re getting," Matlin said Thursday of the applicants. "A lot of different types of candidates that have different strengths that I think can fit well in Hawaii. … I think the (right) person’s in that list. I’m pretty confident about that."

UH said it would give a final count of applications received on Friday morning. It is believed to be well over 50.

"We’re not afraid to do the work, so if we gotta interview a few extra people that we think could be viable, we’ll do it," Matlin said of narrowing the pool to a short list. "But part of what we have to do, we’ve got to do this in a consistent manner."

A four-person search advisory committee was announced by UH on Thursday. They are: UH women’s hoops coach Laura Beeman; director of compliance Amanda Paterson; director of student affairs Stacey Price; and assistant vice chancellor of undergraduate education Dr. Ronald Cambra.

Matlin will work with the committee to recommend one name to Manoa chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman. Matlin said the committee will be in touch remotely for whatever in-person interviews he conducts at the Final Four.

Coaches from across the country regularly attend the Final Four. UH interim coach Benjy Taylor is in Indianapolis for scheduling purposes and Matlin said it was is "very possible" they could meet there.

Other prominent candidates who could be interviewed there include Saint Mary’s assistant Eran Ganot and Columbia head coach Kyle Smith, who was a finalist for the UH hoops job in 2010 that went to Gib Arnold.

Matlin has said that "high character" and "integrity" are top values he seeks in his eventual selection.