Hired in April, Ganot closes on UH deal

After five months, the University of Hawaii said it is "close" to concluding a contract with men’s basketball coach Eran Ganot.

"It is fair to say that we are close and it is just a function of us getting on the phone with his representative (on the mainland) and ironing out some language questions," athletic director David Matlin said Thursday.

Matlin said the remaining questions do not involved major terms, including salary or length. "The deal points have not changed since the beginning (in April)," Matlin said.

Ganot, who was introduced as the Rainbow Warriors’ coach in a campus press conference April 8 is expected to receive a three-year deal in the $200,000 per year range.

It’s believed that UH has worked on updating contract language for new coaches in the wake of a $1.4 million grievance filed against the university by ex-coach Gib Arnold.

Ganot said he had "zero concern," with the status of the contract and was focused on getting the Rainbow Warriors ready for the start of full practices on Oct. 2.

"I’m confident the contract will get done," Ganot said. "Several parties, including Dave, me, my agent, H.R., legal, the (HGEA) union, are all working through the language and it obviously takes time."

The contract must also be signed off on by the HGEA, which represents UH coaches.