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The Hawaii women’s basketball team will be without its top offensive assistant indefinitely, as Darron Larsen recently had a work visa petition denied by the federal government.
Larsen, of New Zealand, was hired by head coach Laura Beeman in July. He worked through the preseason and the first seven games of the year but was recently removed from the Rainbow Wahine online roster.
“It has been a great honor to work with Coach Beeman and the team, and I hope to be back as soon as I can,” Larsen said in a UH release. “My visa petition has been denied, and with the University’s help, I am exploring all options to return.”
UH is said to be making his return a priority, though it’s unclear if that will happen by the end of the 2017-18 season.
Beeman replaced all three of last year’s assistant coaches in the offseason. Larsen came over from Pepperdine, where he was the top assistant coach for two years.
“We’re working to see what we can do to get him reinstated,” athletic director David Matlin said. “That’s what our focus is, to see if we can have him return.”
Beeman credited Larsen’s offensive schemes after an 81-75 home win over Montana State on Monday night. Larsen was not on the bench for the game.
On Tuesday, Beeman said of Larsen: “Darron definitely is a specialty coach. He brings a level of offensive creativity, offensive experience and knowledge that you’re not going to find with a lot of American coaches, quite honestly. Because he had coached at an international level, with the (New Zealand) national team and a professional team on the men’s side. When you do, you want to hang on to it.”
Video coordinator Ryan Dubbeldam has taken Larsen’s place on an interim basis and sat on the bench with Beeman and first-year assistants Courtney Locke and Berry Randle on Monday.
UH (5-3) hosts Idaho State (5-3) on Friday.
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