Errol Rogers’ five-year run as head coach of the UL women’s basketball team came to a close Wednesday, four days after the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 2011-12 season ended at 7-23 season with a first-round loss to FIU at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark.

According to a news release issued by the school, Rogers officially "resigned" Wednesday.

But it’s evident UL was ready in any event to part ways with Rogers, whose Ragin’ Cajuns won 11 games in the 2010-11 season — the most victories they’ve had in any of his five seasons.

The Cajuns went 38-113 under Rogers, a 25.2-percent win rate that fell far short of expectations.

They also went 1-15 this past season in conference play, tied with Troy for worst record in the 12-team Sun Belt.

"Competitively we were not where we wanted to be. It’s pretty simple," athletic director Scott Farmer said by phone Wednesday afternoon.

"We judge not just on wins, but also on how we compete in conference — and we were not in the top half of conference," Farmer added. "That’s where we need to be."

A search is under way to identify candidates to succeed Rogers, and to assist with it the UL athletic department has hired Carr Sports Consulting LLC.

According to UL’s news release "the firm will identify potential candidates that meet specific criteria."

Farmer declined Wednesday to identify what he’s looking for in a coach.

But the Cajuns athletic director did suggest the school must balance the need to have someone in place with as soon as possible, especially with recruiting and staff-formation needs in mind, with a quest to find the right person for the job.

"You want to do a thorough job and do your due diligence," Farmer said, "but, at the same time, move as fast you can."

Farmer also would not address possible candidates for the job, a list that could include former Teurlings Catholic High girls coach and current McNeese State women’s associate coach Garry Brodhead, a UL graduate, and Louisiana College women’s coach Jason Tinsley, a former men’s assistant at Northwestern State, his alma mater.

As for Rogers, his eight wins in his first season at UL, 2007-08, actually tied him for the most by a first-year Cajuns women’s basketball head coach since 1988.

But the Cajuns won one less game than that in 2011-12, which got off to a rough start at 0-3 even before Rogers lost senior bigs Mercedes Johnson, who left the team for personal reasons, and Kemi Rotibi, who sustained a season-ending anterior cruciate knee ligament tear.

During one stretch that started before Christmas, UL lost 17 straight — including its first 15 Sun Belt games.

That marked the Cajuns’ longest drought since the 1998-99 season.

The Cajuns broke the streak with a 62-60 non-conference win over Nebraska-Omaha in which sparingly-used junior shooting guard Bradi Schambough knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer, senior Krystal Motely scored a game-high 26, freshman Brooklyn Arceneaux recorded her first career double-double and senior Michell Brunker scored in double figures as well.

They recorded one more win after that, using Motley’s 19 points to help beat UL Monroe 82-65 at home in their regular-season finale.

But after the Cajuns lost by 19 to FIU in Hot Springs, it simply wasn’t enough to save Rogers’ job.

"I would like to thank Errol for his five years of dedication to the university and his commitment to the student-athletes," Farmer said in a school-issued statement.

"Although we did not have the success on the court that we would have liked, I felt that we had success in other areas and Errol always represented the university in a positive manner."

The UL graduate and Lake Charles native previously spent four years as an assistant coach at Mississippi State, four years as an assistant at Bethune-Cookman and eight years as a girls high school coach in Louisiana with stops at Lafayette High, Opelousas Catholic and Holy Rosary Institute.