The search for Warren Central’s next boys basketball coach is nearing an end.

Warren Central principal Rodney G. Smith said the search committee finished interviewing candidates on Thursday and he hopes to make a recommendation next week.

“We did our last interview today,” Smith said before Thursday’s Vicksburg Warren Board of Trustees meeting. “I’m going to take the weekend to mull it over and should have a recommendation next week.”

Any recommendation must be approved by the Board of Trustees, which meets on the last Thursday of each month. Since the interview process did not wrap up in time for the March meeting, Smith’s recommendation will not be voted on and a hire made official until April 28.

Warren Central is looking for a coach to replace Jesse Johnson, who was fired in early March after finishing with the Vikings’ fourth straight losing season at 9-16.

Smith said he was pleased with the application and interview process.

“We had 40 applications,” Smith said.

Smith did not give the names of any specific candidates, but said he was impressed with the quality of those interviewed.

“We had more than one big fish interested,” Smith said.

Among those reported to have interviewed was one of the state’s most successful coaches, Lanier High School’s Thomas Billups.

At Lanier, Billups built the Bulldogs into the gold standard of basketball programs in Mississippi. His teams have won eight state titles and made 13 championship game appearances. He led Lanier to the Class 5A final this season.

Billups was an assistant at Vicksburg High when the Gators won the 1980 Class AA and Overall state championships. He also applied for the VHS head coaching position in the early 1990s, but was passed over in favor of Dellie C. Robinson. Robinson has been the Gators’ coach since, winning a state title in 2003 and leading them to the Class 6A championship game this season.

Billups’ possible departure from Lanier coincides with that of Provine coach Luther Riley, a four-time state champion and Lanier’s biggest rival. Riley was named the new men’s coach at Alcorn State on Monday.

Also said to have interviewed for the job this week were Port Gibson coach Kim Windom and Petal’s Tori Harris. Windom led the Blue Waves to the Class 4A quarterfinals in 2009. Efforts to reach both Billups and Windom were unsuccessful.