Let’s see if we have this straight:
The University of Hawaii announces associate women’s volleyball coach Scott Wong’s departure on Dec. 10 and six days later begins officially advertising the opening, with an opportunity to name a replacement as soon as Jan. 3.
But the school announces the resignation of athletic director Ben Jay Dec. 11, and not only hadn’t posted the opening as of Wednesday, it still has no announced target date or process by which to name a successor?
As much as inveterate Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji needs a right-hand woman (or man) and a sand volleyball coach pronto, you would think that hiring an athletic director might also merit some urgency.
But it seems we’d be wrong.
Never mind, apparently, that UH is projecting a $3.5 million — and counting — deficit for the current fiscal year. Or, that an independent auditor’s report recently warned the school’s Board of Regents, "… it is increasingly more difficult to sustain athletics competitiveness on its current operating budget and limited financial resources."
That sounds a lot like the kind of task UH might want to have someone get around to tackling sooner rather than later. Time is not on UH’s side here, it is the enemy. Especially since improving the fortunes of athletics — if it is to happen at all — will be akin to turning around an aircraft carrier.
This might be the most important AD hire UH makes since Ray Nagel came aboard in 1976, a pivotal, tumultuous period of NCAA sanctions and inner turmoil.
At UH, we’ve seen that the bureaucracy can be cumbersome even in the best of times. In the worst, only molasses has a slower pace.
That the Wong vacancy is being addressed is proof that UH can move with something resembling alacrity when it is suitably inspired. Maybe in prodding it, Shoji is trying to demonstrate that he, too, should be considered for AD.
More likely, having chafed at the often glacial pace of UH hirings in his 40 seasons, Shoji was just afraid of growing old(er) waiting for help to arrive.
Meanwhile, the to-do list in Manoa for the new AD is long and growing more daunting all the time. There is a recovery plan to be promulgated and sold to the public and powers that be. There are cuts to be made and there is money to be raised.
And, lest anyone forget, somebody is going to have to hire a men’s basketball coach. Until UH hires its next football coach, this will be the most important coaching position UH fills.
March is the optimal month for it and, ideally, you’d have someone already in position, identifying prospective candidates and performing due diligence so that recruiting doesn’t take any more of a hit than it absolutely has to.
The question, at this rate, might well be: Will the new AD be on board before, say, May?
The hope is that Shoji gets his sand volleyball coach on schedule and that, meanwhile, UH isn’t just mired in the sand when it comes to hiring an AD.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
