Last season brought some cheer to UH

The University of Hawaii athletic department made history in 2016, the good kind.

It was the first time Hawaii won an NCAA Tournament basketball game and a football bowl game within the same calendar year.

Actually, it was the first time UH won at March Madness, period. But the round-of-64 victory against Cal paired with football’s first bowl win since 2006 last month provided the state’s only Division I college athletics program with an unprecedented double dose of positive publicity … and in the two sports that are the most high-profile, by far, nationally.

The athletic department is still in a multi-million-dollar deficit, but basketball and football both winning in the postseason on national TV could help set a foundation for eventually alleviating financial woes.

“I think success breeds success,” athletic director David Matlin said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s about momentum. What men’s and women’s basketball and football did (in 2016) was great.”

The UH women’s basketball team, like the men, won the Big West championship in 2016. But the Rainbow Wahine lost to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Overall, the 2015-16 school year was successful for many UH programs, as beach volleyball went to the national semifinals, and women’s indoor volleyball, as usual, made it to the NCAAs (and again last fall). Manoa sports programs produced seven conference players of the year and five conference coaches of the year.

UH’s 52-35 upset win over Middle Tennessee State in the Hawaii Bowl played out on national TV on Christmas Eve. It was a telegenic game with plenty of big plays on offense, defense and special teams for UH.

For the coaches charged with recruiting talent to Manoa, it was a dream game. It was also a boon for the UH ticket office, and could attract more corporate sponsorship and other donations. While that game is fresh in the minds of fans, UH will do season-ticket renewals earlier than usual.

“We’re looking at early February, and getting the word out there,” Matlin said.

But the momentum is on hold for men’s basketball because of sanctions stemming from an NCAA investigation. The Rainbows won their last two games heading into the start of Big West competition at Fullerton on Thursday, but at 6-7 they’ve already lost one more game than last season’s 28-win team.

Also, the school still hasn’t received word on an appeal that could reinstate its eligibility for the Big West postseason tournament, and possibly give it back a lost scholarship.

Even with football’s first non-losing season since 2010 and money from basketball’s NCAA appearance and win of last year, Matlin still projects a $2.2 million deficit for the school year ending June 30. That is, however, an improvement over deficits of $4.2 million and $3.2 million the previous two years.

“We’ve made progress in institutional support,” Matlin said, and UH-Manoa sports received $2.7 million from the state legislature last year (UH Hilo got $300,000).

Last year, Matlin did a “deep dive” into UH’s finances and emerged with a plan to make up a cumulative $5.5 million deficit by 2020.

The victories in football and basketball on the national stage in 2016 could help secure a lucrative apparel deal. “We’re going through the process to find the best fit,” Matlin said, the pun unintended.

A profit from the previously money-losing H-Zone store is another positive sign.

The Manoa student body will likely continue to fight fees to help athletics, but some students at Kapiolani Community College have expressed interest in attending (and paying for) UH sports.

“They approached us,” Matlin said.

Overall fundraising must improve dramatically, and UH is looking at outsourcing corporate sponsorship, Matlin said. He realizes this idea achieved limited success when it was tried more than 15 years ago, but thinks it could represent a better use of resources now.

“We’ve got a good corporate partner program,” he said. “If we can enhance it we will.”

Women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman recently received a contract extension, but two other high-profile coaches are in limbo. Legendary volleyball coach Dave Shoji is taking a break of undetermined length to deal with prostate cancer, and baseball coach Mike Trapasso heads into the upcoming season with just one year left on his contract.

“Nothing’s changed at this point,” Matlin said of Trapasso’s status. “We’ve had some conversations and will continue to.”

So, there is uncertainty ahead in some sports for 2017, and financial concerns are never-ending. But what basketball and football achieved before large audiences in 2016 with young, first-year coaches Eran Ganot and Nick Rolovich provides hope for UH fans.

“It puts an extra bounce in people’s step, around the state,” Matlin said.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.