It is a search that has spanned part of three Maine seasons, but after a lengthy wait, Poland Regional High School thinks it has found the right girls’ basketball coach.

Andrew Morong will be the fourth head coach in the last five years at Poland and sixth in the program’s 10-year history.

“I hope this is going to be a good fit,” said Don King, Poland’s co-curricular director. “I think Andrew has a ton of ideas. He knows about developing youth programs and what that takes. He’s got ideas with getting involved in the community.”

Morong was an assistant with his father, Tom, at Morse the last three years. Last winter, he was an associate coach, where he shared all coaching activities and decisions. He’s also worked with youth level teams and AAU programs.

“Coming from my father, who coached 20 years at one school, I’m hoping to bring some sort of consistency to the program,” Morong said. “That’s what I am. I’m loyal, and I’m committed. That’s what I’m going to bring, and that’s what they can expect out of me.”

King points to Morong’s commitment to the Morse program the last few years. While being a full-time student at the University of Maine, Morong still managed to attend games, practices and scout.

“That meant he spent a lot of time on the road,” King said. “That speaks a lot about your commitment and desire to getting it done right.”

Morong officially graduates in December, but has completed his degrees in social psychology and business administration. He will commute from Bath and has already made trips to Poland to watch student activities.

“He’s been on campus, the kids don’t know it, watching sports, just to see who’s who and what’s taking place,” King said. “I think that’s fantastic. I think it’s important to see the kids doing other things so you can figure out who they are and figure out what their strength are.”

Morong replaces Rus Willette, who resigned after last season to take a job at St. Dom’s.

Finding quality candidates interested in a program that has yet to maintain success was a challenge.

“I’m amazed at the number of people out there that have coaching advice compared to the number of people that are actually applying for coaching positions,” King said. “It was important for us to fill the position with someone we felt was a good fit rather than fill it for the sake of filling it.”

Morong’s eagerness, commitment and experience has King excited. He’s posting openings at the sub-varsity level. He hopes to have a freshman team that could feature as many as 18 potential players.

Poland went 5-13 last year, giving the Knights 10 wins in the last two years. That’s compared to a total of 15 wins the previous seven years.

Morong is excited about the challenge ahead. He sees competing in the history-rich Western B field much like what he saw with Morse in the KVAC and Eastern A.

“I’m going to be used to the competition, and the girls know what they’re going to face,” Morong said. “I’m really going to bring in a style of play that was half of what we did at Morse and what I learned from my father, but I also have my own philosophies. I’m really excited and I hope the girls buy into it.”

Hiring a coach in the fall and being without summer basketball this year puts the Knights at a disadvantage, but Morong likes the challenge and looks forward to the opportunity. He sees the Knights developing a full-court style of play, stressing strong defense and athleticism.

“We’re going to get up and down the court,” Morong said. “We’re going to play in transition, but we’re also going to be very adaptive. We’re going to be able to slow it down and play very disciplined basketball when we have to.”