Let’s think about this play for a moment. Let’s don’t just draw something up in the dirt.

The last three men to hold down the fort since the untimely death of Stan Sheriff haven’t exactly been athletic directors of the year. One was responsible for the Fred vonAppen era, another couldn’t convince June Jones to stay put and the last guy in charge was blind-sided by Stevie Wonder.

Now, before we go any further, let’s be real honest. There aren’t a lot of us out there qualified to run a $20-something million athletic department. We might think we are, but we aren’t.

Part of the problem is those who can navigate these treacherous waters make a lot more coin doing something else in the private sector. They aren’t interested in the constraints that are part of the job description.

So, what are we to do? How can we make this better given the salary range we’re playing with in the most expensive state in America? Do we hire from within as we did when Hugh Yoshida took over after Sheriff’s death? Or do we go to the mainland as we did when Herman Frazier was given the keys to the city? Jim Donovan was a local hire with an undying love for his school and it still didn’t work out right. Frazier left a revolving debt, but it grew substantially under Donovan’s watch.

Some folks think the guy sitting in the office right now is the perfect man for the position. And maybe interim A.D. Rockne Freitas eventually fills it quite nicely. After all, he was responsible for getting Hawaii into the Mountain West as the WAC went over the cliff. But a lot of us felt the same way about Greg McMackin stepping in for June, and that cost the university $1.1 million per, for four years of service and another $600,000 to leave town. Just sayin’.

HERE’S AN IDEA. Maybe it’s time to hire someone based on background, merit and vision. Someone who can take good ideas from the business world and apply them to the quirky dimension of academia. Someone who can raise enough money to feed the bottom line without solely relying on ticket sales. Sure, it’s important to finish in the black, but it’s also critical to keep gender equity moving toward 50 percent without breaking the bank.

Yeah, we know it’s hard to balance those ideals, but come on, we’re paying $250,000 a year to do it. That’s about four times the median household income in Hawaii. We expect something more for our tax dollars than what we’ve been getting so far in the 21st century.

What we really need is somebody who can rally the troops. Somebody who can reach across the many aisles of the intricate state system. We need somebody who can look and play the part, both here at home and on the road. More important, we need somebody to recognize the right candidate when he or she walks into the room. We don’t need no stinking 14-person selection committee. We just need four or five folks to help the president make the proper call.

This is important. We all see that now — across the islands. No rash decisions. No preconceived notions. No senator’s son. Just the right person, with the right ideas, at the right time.

That’s the play. Now, let’s execute it. On two. Ready. Break.

Reach Star-Advertiser sports editor Paul Arnett at parnett@staradvertiser.com or 529-4786.