The University of Hawaii volleyball teams won’t be competing in Under Armour shoes in the immediate future.
One reason is UA doesn’t make them — yet. Another is that the Rainbow Wahine and Warrior coaches are quite happy with their relationship with Asics.
Under Armour reps and athletic director David Matlin have been talking about expanding the mostly football deal they inked in 2008 to include all sports starting next year.
Dave Shoji and Charlie Wade, who coach the Wahine and the Warriors, are all for the financial benefits the department would enjoy with an all-sports contract with UA. The first seven years with football and a couple of other teams brought in around $4 million in goods and services.
Under Armour has always made great shirts. I’m wearing one right now, and it’s keeping me cool in this 90-degree heat.
But the shoes? They’ve had to evolve.
In that first football season UH wore them, Warriors were often tackled by the Invisible Man. And some shoes fell apart.
Two years later, however, Cam Newton had no such problems and Auburn won the BCS national championship wearing Under Armour.
When Laura Beeman arrived to coach the UH women’s basketball team in 2012, one of the first things she did was get the Wahine out of Under Armour footwear and into Nikes.
But Thursday, Beeman said UA’s basketball shoes are much improved. Or why would NBA MVP Steph Curry be wearing them?
“And look at Notre Dame women’s basketball,” Beeman said. “(Under Armour is) doing something right.”
There’s no denying UH got in early on something good. But if that good includes volleyball shoes remains to be seen. Volleyball is not a minor sport here. It will still be huge even when Shoji, who has coached the Wahine since 1975, retires someday. The last 30 of those 40 years have been with Asics as a partner.
“In my opinion they make the best volleyball shoes,” Shoji said. “Asics is very, very popular worldwide. They’re a Japanese company, but their presence in Europe is huge, and continues to grow in the U.S.”
Asics returned the love in 2003, naming a shoe the Gel-Wahine in appreciation of Shoji and UH.
It would be a shame if the Hawaii volleyball teams are forced into shoes that aren’t ready for prime time. They don’t deserve to be lab rats for unproven products. Actually, that goes for all Hawaii student-athletes.
“I don’t think anyone here, regardless of the monetary benefit, wants to see any of our athletes in a subpar product. I know that includes David Matlin,” Beeman said. “But as long as we know it won’t cause injury or prevent our athletes from performing at their highest levels, I’m all for it. … I think (Under Armour is) doing a lot of technological advances. They knew they had an issue with their shoes.”
Could it be that the volleyball teams wear Asics shoes but Under Armour uniforms next year?
“I would say anything is possible at this point. (The athletic department) is waiting for the proposal,” Shoji said. “If they want our (volleyball) business they’ll have to come up with a shoe.”
