Posted on: Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Wilton still top candidate for BYU job

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i men's volleyball coach Mike Wilton has decided to remain as a candidate for the head coaching job at Brigham Young University, adding his final decision on where he coaches next season will be dictated by his religious faith.

Wilton, whose contract with UH expires Aug. 15, met with BYU athletic director Val Hale last week in Provo, Utah. Although there are at least three other candidates, Wilton is considered the top contender to be offered the job as successor to Carl McGown, who resigned this month.

Hale, who described Wilton as a "great fit" for BYU, will decide on a finalist by next week.

Wilton said if he were offered the BYU job, "I've got to process it and seek confirmation on my own." That means, according to Wilton, he will pray on the matter. "It works every time," he said.

Wilton is a high priest in the Mormon church, which administers BYU. He said BYU's "attraction purely has to do with religion — to coach and teach in an environment that reflects your personal religious beliefs."

Wilton said he enjoys coaching in Hawai'i, where three of his five children and four grandchildren live. His wife, Ku'ulei, is a genealogist with the Mormon church in charge of the area from Manoa to Hawai'i Kai.

"There are many strong attractions to wanting to stay here," he said. "That's not the issue. Volleyball is not the issue. It's proven both schools can be good in volleyball. The decision will be based on our religious beliefs."

Last week, Wilton met with high-ranking UH officials to discuss a multi-year contract. Wilton, who earns a base salary of about $80,000, said if he decides to remain at UH, he would seek security for his assistants. He said he would like a significant pay raise for Tino Reyes, a long-time assistant who has four children, and to promote his son, Aaron Wilton, from a part-time assistant to full-time coach.

"It's time to get real with that (part-time) job," Wilton said.

Wilton said there have been discussions about ways to increase youth attendance at matches, plans that would include ticket discounts and expanding student sections in the Stan Sheriff Center's lower bowl. A recent marketing study showed the volleyball program's target audience should be ages 13-29.

"We've ignored them," Wilton said. "I don't think young people like to sit at the top. They want to be on TV, like how it used to be in '95 and '96. We love our 'seasoned fans,' if that's the right term, but we want the kids and our UH students there, too."

Wilton said the Warriors are considering playing exhibition matches in Shanghai in November. He said UH would like to eventually recruit in Asia.