Houl, Valdez likely assistants to Takahara-Dias … Don’t forget Friesen
By dreardon
Dana Takahara-Dias was announced today as head coach of the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team.
Takahara-Dias was among eight finalists who had in-person interviews.
Two former assistants, Da Houl and Serenda Valdez, are expected to join her staff. The third spot remains open.
The other head coach finalists were Gavin Petersen, Joan Bonvicini, Mark Trakh, Patrick Harrington, Jennifer Gross, Jennifer Young and George Wolfe.
General speculation last night and today has run toward Takahara-Dias, although another source indicated otherwise (but citing third-hand information). Last week I was told Takahara-Dias was a shoo-in for the job, then she said she was no longer a candidate, and then she interviewed yesterday. At 2 p.m. today, two very good sources told me it’s Takahara-Dias.
***
I should have mentioned diver Emma Friesen in today’s column about Annett Wichmann, in which I called Wichmann UH’s most successful athlete. Friesen, like Wichmann, has numerous WAC championships to her credit. She also has an NCAA championship. That deserves mention at any opportunity. Friesen was also honored as the WAC’s top athlete last year.
Friesen is clearly an under-appreciated athlete.
Others?
– By Dave Reardon
Quick Reads
May 28th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Give us an update! PLEASE.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
They have alot of good local candidates. Hope they don’t blow it again.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Several people who generally have a clue think it’s Takahara-Dias. But the way this has gone, no one wants to go out on a limb and say it’s her for sure. One person cited third-hand information today saying it’s somebody else, but I won’t go there until it’s much firmer.
More than one name may have been submitted to Donovan, leaving him with a decision to make.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
We have to hire a coach with MAINLAND ties. That will ensure that we can recruit off the islands. Right now we do not have a REAL program. Vince needs to show that he still has a vested interest in UH athletics. The hire should be Peterson, he is the closest to a young head coach(assistant head Coach now) that is the group of candidates. UH can not hire a HIGH SCHOOL COACH THAT NOONE KNOWS. She will not be able to recruit the way that you need to win.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
If its DTD as coach, I think the star recruit for UH this year will be the Kuehu sister that sat out last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if the other sister at Idaho comes back home as well.
I think this is a great hire for UH. Being a “name” coach doesn’t mean you can coach and teach X’s and O’s.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Are these the same “numerous sources” you relied on to report that Takahara-Dias wasn’t getting the job a few days ago?
Looks like the Advertiser had this one right from the start
May 28th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for reading Ata Ross. Now go cool off in some air conditioning.
Some sources the same as last week, some different. One of them last week was Takahara-Dias herself. So believe what you want to believe. Yeah, the other paper had it right when they wrote it, but then it was wrong when their paper came out the next day. Now it’s right a week later. Everything we’ve reported has been proven accurate at the time it was at our readers’ eyes. Takahara-Dias was out, and then brought back in. So what’s your point?
May 28th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Ata, maybe you didn’t read this from the “Confusion reigns in women’s bball search” post of May 21:
…
at some point the plan was to interview Takahara-Dias and Petersen as finalists. But as of late Wednesday, it is not.
Nothing will surprise me in this bizarre ongoing drama, however, including either of them getting the job after all is said and done.
…
Have a good day.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Bring the wahine alumnae game back thats been missing since Jim Bolla arrived. Really excited about the upcoming season. Dana and Charlie should increase season tickets.
May 28th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I talked to Shaena who is in Oahu for the summer. She will not leave Idaho to go to UH. Why would you leave a school where you made the all-freshman team for the WAC, is on it’s way up in the WAC, and is in school that may help her become a vet, which is what she wants to do.
Then you guys expect her to leave Idaho, go to UH, which is a struggling program, has to sit out a year, and may not get into the right courses to have a chance to be a vet.
Are you serious?
May 28th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Shawna needs to get her life in order and her knee in order to make an impact at UH. Working on a boat instead of being enrolled at school isn’t a good choice. Not working hard, and expecting people to do the work for you will not get you far in life. This girl really needs to mature.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I agree with Dave. Dias was in then out then now back in and got the job? Weird way to conduct a search for a new coach. The only thing I can get from this is that she may have been their choice from the very beginning. I could be wrong but where is the transparency?
May 28th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I wonder how much influence King Mufi had in this pick. Dias was his customer service director and Donovan is on one of the city commissions appointed by the Mayor….
May 29th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
No D-1 coaching experience = bad pick. Sorry. It’s nice to like the character of someone, especially since being stuck with Bolla (terrible character), but is that enough. Has the UH given up on trying to put a winner on the court? If high school is enough experience, Cal Lee should have gotten the football job. Oh wait, way too much money involved with that one. Sorry, but this hire doesn’t make sense, especially given the experience that other candidates had. Coach Takahara-Dias, prove me wrong please.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Hawaii fans support winners, athletics at UH is a business that needs support from the community as UH does not have rich donors, especially with no student support in either attendance or via athletic fees though they use the gyms, fields and weight room, this program is a financial disaster, supporters of Dias, buy your tickets if you support her, talk is cheap, walk the talk and support her financially or she will be gone in 3 years. The key to the success of any Hawaii athletic program is recruiting and as evidenced by the other women programs, Hawaii teams must go outside of the state for key personnel, i.e. the difference makers. Dias coached the all star teams that went to Vegas but it was King Mufi that ran the team.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Great selection! She will ignite local interest and generate pride in our local fans. We should have done the same with Merv Lopes 25 years ago.
May 30th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Got to get better and more fresh assistants. Houl was an assistant with Cheng for the past 4-5 years at Mid Pac. They will leave Mid Pac as an underachieving staff. This past year, Mid Pac had arguably the top talent in the ILH. They couldn’t even make states. They finished in 4th place, finishing behind a bad Iolani and Kamehameha team. Mid Pac was stacked last year. If Houl was legit, there is no way Mid Pac finished anywhere below 2nd at the worst.
Dias = average pick
Houl/Valdez = poor picks
May 30th, 2009 at 7:38 am
since takahara is japanese and vowed to recruit locals….it should spike attendance past the 100 mark. should be fun watching 5 foot players buzz up and down the court.
May 30th, 2009 at 10:42 am
You’re right in a sense, even though I think you were going for sarcasm. BJ Itoman and Melanie Azama were good and fans enjoyed watching them play. (I have to admit, they were a little taller than 5-even).
And be careful Lori; your last post is racist. If my bosses see it, you’re outta here.
May 30th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
now you got me shaking in my girdle–sonya sotomayor can say hispanic females are better than white males and i cant mention the fact that takahara is japanese–look, i dont have a delete button leftie–so do me the pleasure and dont wait for your ha ole bossbuana.
May 30th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
You can say whatever you want, lori. Just be careful if you want to keep posting here (I’ll believe you don’t when you stop).
And you can play dumb if you want, but your racial stereotypical implication was clear.
May 31st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I don’t think it matters who the coach is as long as they can produce w’s. I feel that Trakh would have been the best person for this job. He has shown that he can win at a smaller school and a larger school. He took both Pepperdine and USC to the NCAA tournament. After everything is said and done, wins is what matters the most.
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Will twilight ohana be back this year, would be great to hype up the basketball this year.