TUSCALOOSA | How did it happen? Why did he go? And what's going to happen next?

Those are the questions left in the wake of Patrick Murphy's unexpected decision to leave the University of Alabama softball program -- a program he built into a national championship contender over 13 years -- to become head coach at LSU.

If anyone knows what drove Murphy's decision, it's Yvette Girouard, who retired after 11 years at LSU to create the vacancy Murphy left UA to fill. Girouard gave Murphy his first softball coaching job, as an assistant at Southwestern Louisiana, and was part of the search process that led to Murphy's hiring at LSU.

Girouard believes Alabama let Murphy get away by not appreciating what it had.

"He's a superstar in softball," she said, "and he should have been compensated like a superstar."

LSU made the commitment to do just that, breaking the sport's salary structure by offering Murphy a deal that will pay $225,000 per year, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. At Alabama, Murphy made $140,000 per year.

"Athletic departments choose what to do with their money," Girouard said. "They have it. Look at what LSU just did."

More than money, Murphy may have felt under-appreciated by UA's athletic administration. While Alabama did, in the end, match LSU's offer, it did nothing proactive to take one of the sport's top coaches off the market.

"Coaches have egos," Girouard said. "Sometimes a pat on the back or a thank you for what you've done goes a long way. I know I've felt like that in the past.

"Sometimes it's not just about money."

Girouard said Joe Alleva, LSU's director of athletics, wanted to hire a proven head coach. She denied reports, sparked by speculation published Tuesday by the Arizona Daily Star, that LSU targeted Arizona coach Mike Candrea with a package that might pay upwards of $300,000 per year. Murphy, Girouard said, was LSU's top target all along.

"His name came up and nobody was sure if (Murphy) would be interested," Girouard said. "Alleva said, 'Let's find out.' They were going to shoot for the moon and see what happens."

LSU contacted Alabama early in the week to ask for permission to talk to Murphy. Alabama waited to see what would develop. By the time UA countered LSU's offer, Murphy had been wooed by a school that made it clear he and his sport would be a priority.

"They threw the kitchen sink at him," Girouard said.

Murphy was clearly impressed with the way LSU targeted and courted him.

"They did it the right way in every way," he said. "It happens all the time in football and basketball, but you don't really see it in softball."

Now it's Alabama's turn to make a hire. UA is searching for a coach who will be tasked with maintaining or improving a program that has been to the Women's College World Series seven times since 2000 and three of the last four years. UA is two-time defending Southeastern Conference champion, and has led the nation in average or total attendance every season since 2008.

Vann Stuedeman, the lone remaining assistant at UA after associate head coach Alyson Habetz decided to follow Murphy to LSU, is likely to be considered, but UA may want to look outside the program to make a splash by hiring a proven head coach or an assistant from a nationally-prominent program.

Head coaches who might be attractive to Alabama include Glenn Moore at Baylor, Ehren Earleywine at Missouri, Rachel Lawson at Kentucky and John Rittman at Stanford, although it is not known if they would be interested in the position.

Outside the head coaching ranks, Arizona State associate head coach Robert Wagner has been part of two national championship teams at ASU and one on the junior college level. He is thought to be in line for a major head coaching job in the near future, and has consistently produced some of the nation's top hitting teams at every stop in his career.

Whoever Alabama hires will be walking into a good situation. Only pitcher Kelsi Dunne and shortstop Whitney Larsen graduate from the 2011 team that made it to the semifinal round of the World Series.

"It's a fabulous job to take," Girouard said. "I don't think you're going to have a want of quality candidates. It's just a matter of finding the right coach who is willing to leave where they are at."