Donovan knows the drill

On a teleconference announcing the firing of women’s basketball coach Dana Takahara-Dias on Wednesday, University of Hawaii athletic director Jim Donovan, without pause, detailed a step-by-step hiring process for hiring a successor.

Right down to the minute (4:30 p.m.) the search committee may begin to sift through applications Wednesday.

Clearly, as Donovan reminded, he’s been through this before. Indeed, his fourth anniversary as head of the state’s only major college athletic program is still 12 days off and, by then, Donovan could be announcing the ninth new head coach of his tenure.

Donovan has already hired — and seen depart — more head coaches than his predecessor, Herman Frazier, did in about five years (2002-08), a turnover that is allowing him to re-shape the athletic department to a depth shared by only a few of his predecessors.

On Donovan’s watch, a football coach, men’s and women’s basketball coaches and men’s volleyball coach have been among the marquee hirings and firings. Stan Sheriff (1983-93) was the last UH athletic director to fill all those positions and he held office for nearly 10 years.

Manoa Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw, who hired Donovan in 2008, wrote in an email, "Jim has moved quickly and effectively in hiring coaches who are certainly quite capable of success at UH Manoa. He has also done an excellent job in implementing performance-based salaries."

The hirings of Norm Chow as football coach in December and soccer coach Michele Nagamine the year before have been widely popular, while the selection and subsequent firing of Takahara-Dias three years later has drawn fire. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on some other hires, including men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade.

"If one were to look at the entire body of work and you ‘netted’ the quality of the coaches prior and post-Jim Donovan, you would have to give him very high marks," said businessman Kent Untermann, an active UH booster and former football player who has been critical of some aspects of Donovan’s administration.

Bank of Hawaii chairman Peter Ho, who has served on several search committees, declined to assess Donovan’s overall hirings, but wrote in an email, "I will say that Gib (Arnold) has done a tremendous job beginning the turn-around process of a weak (men’s basketball) program and I think Norm is going to do great things."

Donovan has maintained he didn’t return to his alma mater with a plan for wholesale change.

"A lot of ADs come in and start implementing their so-called ‘own team,’ (but) that’s not been my motivation at all," Donovan said.

"Turnover in athletics is not uncommon based upon my experience," Hinshaw wrote. "Our UH Manoa coaches need expertise in their sport, academic values and a Hawaiian heart, so finding all of that in one person can be a challenge; however, Jim does find them."

One of Donovan’s first changes was suspending and then firing women’s basketball coach Jim Bolla "for cause" during the 2008-09 season. The firing came, UH said, after its investigation substantiated allegations that Bolla kicked a player. A lawsuit brought by Bolla was thrown out by a federal judge in 2010.

Donovan did not renew Bob Nash (basketball), Mike Wilton (volleyball), Michel Roy (water polo), Pinsoom Tenzing (soccer) and Takahara-Dias. He negotiated a buyout of football coach Greg McMackin in December. McMackin accepted $600,000 to leave UH before the final year of what had been a five-year contract.

The announcement of Takahara-Dias’ departure, while the topic of speculation for weeks, still came as something of a surprise for its swiftness. She was notified by Donovan while still on the court immediately after the loss to Louisiana Tech.

Despite an 11-19 finish to the season and a three-year overall 32-58 record, there had been speculation she might receive an additional year because she had such a young team (four of five starters and seven of the top eight scorers return). In addition, it was Donovan who had helped encourage her to apply at UH and leave a city government position despite a lack of college coaching experience.

"I don’t take the decision not to retain a coach lightly," Donovan said recently. "It weighs on me very, very heavily and I look at a lot of aspects when making a decision; from competitive success to academic progress and graduation rate, the athletes they bring in and how athletes conduct themselves, the way the coach follows the rules and how they are a part of the athletic department. All those things. It is a lot of different things and I weigh them all."

Donovan also twice made the decision to retain Mike Trapasso when the baseball coach’s contract had expired despite what had been described as pressure from some regents for a change.

"I think he has done the best that he can do under situations that are not always well publicized and involving the power interests at UH," veteran sportscaster Jim Leahey said. "I think the choices that come down to his making have been astute choices."

People involved in the process say Donovan did not have autonomy in choosing McMackin’s successor. Several of the people he wanted appointed to the screening committee were rejected and their places instead were filled by appointees of the regents or UH administration. The committee interviewed the finalists and presented Donovan with a three-man list.

Moreover, speculation has been that Donovan wanted then-Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter as McMackin’s replacement. But Donovan said while he did discuss the merits and minuses of two other candidates, including Koetter, with his superiors in the final session, Chow was who he recommended to UH President M.R.C. Greenwood and members of the UH Board of Regents.

"Dana didn’t work out and some of his (Donovan’s) choices have yet to play themselves out, but I think he is doing things for the right reasons, trying to improve the program," Leahey said.