"I was thinking about retiring," Goo said. "But I plugged the battery in and the red light on the charger turned green so I'm ready."

Goo, 56, has been Hawai'i's head coach since 1987. In his 16 seasons, the Rainbow Wahine have gone 326-146 — the best record of any UH basketball coach. They have been in five NCAA Tournaments and five WNIT Tournaments, including the last four. Every player that has finished her eligibility at UH has earned a degree, or is on track.

Goo said job security is no longer a priority for him. When his five-year contract ends in August he will discuss a one-year deal with UH Athletic Director Herman Frazier and assess his options again after next season.

April Atuaia, who will be the only senior on the upcoming Rainbow Wahine team, said she was "happy and relieved" with Goo's decision. The team had been in limbo since hearing of Goo's interest in retirement at the end of the season.

None of the players discussed the situation with Goo. "Maybe they were afraid I was going to continue," he joked.

Atuaia wasn't surprised when the topic of retirement came up and said she left Goo alone to give him space to "do what he needed to do."

"We just went with it," Atuaia said. "We're behind him whether he stayed or not, it's really his decision. He deserves to do whatever he wants. ... It's been a long ride and it's good I get to end it with Vince.

"He's honest — the type of coach that will tell you straight up what you need to do."

Goo said Frazier's request that he stay at least another year gave him "a good feeling" but had no impact on his decision. Six freshmen — Goo's largest recruiting class ever — did. Hawai'i lost four post players and its starting point guard from the team that went 16-14 last season.

"One of the things I thought about was getting them set in the right direction," Goo said. "If I can do that in one year, it will be an accomplishment."

What could be his final team will look nothing like the last deliberate decade. Goo is anticipating using a platoon system next season and letting his team "run and shoot and four people go get the rebound."

"Hopefully it's going to work," he said. "When you're that young, you need to 'gimmick' a little bit."

Goo's decision to stay also pleased some in the Western Athletic Conference. After the 'Bows beat Tulsa in March, 'Canes coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said she hoped to see Goo again.