Shoji’s win gives us pause to value what he’s meant

Dave Shoji is a good sport, so he allowed a few pictures to be snapped of him with the new headgear. Then, less than a minute after it was placed upon him, as subtly as possible in the middle of an arena of adoring fans, he removed it.

Uneasy the head that wears the crown, indeed.

The University of Hawaii volleyball coach has been around long enough — since 1975 — to know that all laurels are fleeting, and there’s plenty of work to do even when you’ve just become the winningest coach in women’s NCAA Division I history.

Especially this early in the season.

As is typical for him, Shoji hit all the right notes after victory 1,107 on Friday, which put him one past his retired friend Andy Banachowski of UCLA — the team that happened to be next up for the Wahine on Saturday.

Regardless what would happen against the Bruins, and later this season, Friday was a time for celebration — and in Shoji’s words, a time for sharing.

"I appreciate all the accolades, but let’s think of this as yours and ours together," he told the crowd at the Stan Sheriff Center after beating Santa Clara in four sets.

He recognized everyone — the gritty Broncos; Banachowski; his wife; his players, the fans; his assistant coaches, past and present (including Mike Sealy, the current UCLA coach he did battle with Saturday).

Shoji has always simultaneously projected humility and confidence — neither forced, neither false. When on Friday he said, "We have a really good team" and "I think we can go all the way," it was not a matter of being caught up in the moment.

If you think he’s delusional and the game has passed him by because the last of four national championships was in 1987, don’t forget this: The Wahine made it to the final four as recently as 2009 — a season that started with a three-set loss to UCLA.

He anticipated more questions about retirement, telling the crowd, "We’ll assess things after the season."

When he does finally hang it up — and hopefully it’s a long time from now — Shoji’s legacy will be as the greatest UH coach in any sport — no offense to several other fine ones who also achieved greatly against the odds stacked against college sports programs in the middle of the ocean.

"He’d be the first to admit he’s had a string of really good players," says Chris McLachlin, the TV analyst. "Then what he does, best by far, is game management. Calls timeouts at the right time. Makes substitutions at the right time. That’s by far what sets him apart from the others."

He’s not perfect. It’s impossible to win every match, to please every student-athlete, every booster. But if you just break it down to enjoyment, you can forget about the titles, the records, the numbers.

Has anyone seen another sports program in Hawaii produce as many smiles, as much genuine happiness — for its players and its fans? Consistently? Year after year? And do it with financial self-sufficiency?

Dave Shoji built it and maintained it. No one has come close and I don’t think anyone ever will.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.