Athletic Director of the University of Hawaii, Jim Donovan had the opportunity to make a statement in hiring a new women’s basketball coach, instead he has simply left the majority of college women’s basketball fans scratching their hands and saying huh? The job posting for the University of Hawaii Women’s Basketball Coach should have read: If you have PAC-10 experience, are among all time coaches in wins, represented the USA in the Olympics for Basketball, left the island to gain experience in the game of college basketball you NEED NOT APPLY. So Joan Bonvicni former Head Coach of the U of Arizona, Mark Trakh former Head Coach at USC and Pepperdine and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke two time MVP in the WNBA and Olympic Gold medalist THANKS BUT NO THANKS FOR YOUR APPLICATION WE ARE JUST GOING TO FILE IT here next to we don’t give a crap about women’s basketball.
Instead we are going to hire Dana Takahara-Dias. Oh you have never heard of her? Well she was the City and County of Honolulu’s Director of the Department of Customer Service. Each year she puts together an A.A.U. Team with Mayor Mufi Hannemann to travel to the mainland. Years ago she was the administrative assistant to legendary coach Vince Goo at the University of Hawaii and later coached Moanalua High School to several state championships. Now had she remained in her position as high school coach I believe a justifiable argument could be made for her hiring, except for the fact that the job posting stated you had to have a minimum of 4 years Head Coach experience at the college level. So how exactly did the University of Hawaii circumvent their own advertisement especially at a state school? Perhaps they rewrote the requirements, but failed to repost the job so that the rest of the Directors of Customer Service across the country could also apply.
Jim Donovan certainly managed to make quite a statement with this hiring, especially to all the coaches who have sacrificed families, spouses, relationships with their own children, sleeping on an office couch instead of their own beds, weddings, funerals and other obligatory observances all in the name of coaching college basketball. Jim Donovan you have spoken volumes with this hire and I wish Coach Takahara-Dias the best of luck, as all accounts are that she is truly a great person. (So is my mom by the way). I would love to see this nonsense happen on the men’s side of college basketball…yeah right.
FOR NOW I AM LEFT TO WONDER WHO LEID JIM DONOVAN?
