The 8-20 season was noteworthy because the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine have become used to that record in reverse. It was just the third losing season in Goo's 17 years as head coach.

Goo, 57, will officially retire in August with a .668 winning percentage (334-166). He was ready to go a year ago, when his five-year contract was up and his age and number of years as a state worker made retirement an option.

Goo hung on another season to give his seven recruits a jump-start, and his staff time to face its future. He has worked without a contract for seven months. His salary range tops out at $135,000 a year — $1,000 less than the national average.

"I think I showed some courage," said Goo, echoing a phrase he often used to describe players. "I think I got some young players headed in the right direction. It would have been great to have a new coach come in and do their thing this year, but we recruited these kids and we owed them that one year. We took care of our obligations."

His team repaid him with an optimism rarely found in an 8-20 season.

The more the Rainbows lost, the more they enjoyed being together. The more they struggled to put the ball in the basket, the harder they wanted to work. Goo called this year's players "the most resilient bunch" he's ever coached.

"They showed up for practice every day, laughed and had fun, played hard," he said. "In games, they competed really hard. We didn't shoot well or do certain things well at times because of our youth, but we competed.

"It's pretty hard to understand how they could come out and do that every game and every practice, but they did. It's just their individual nature. ... We cut practice to 1ý hours the day before the last game and they wanted to scrimmage more. That's a real positive side."

The Rainbow Wahine confirm Goo's feelings right down the roster. As they season wound down, they spoke of what they had learned this year. From their comments, it was clear they did not learn how to lose, only to learn from their losses.

"We gain heart, strength and fight in us," freshman Janevia Taylor said.

The 'Bows spoke of beginning to understand how hard they had to work, how critical it is to communicate, and how important it is to deal with pressure — self-imposed and from teammates and coaches.

Many stressed how crucial it was to be confident and positive, in yourself and everyone else. They pondered the power of "pushing through the hardest things, on and off the court."

Freshman Amber Lee talked about learning to trust herself and her teammates, and understanding the importance of the offseason. Junior Milia Macfarlane spoke of opening up to constructive criticism, and freshman Brittany Grice of having a constant hunger for improvement.

"The desire to win has never been a problem," Grice said. "I am proud of our resilience and ability to still get pumped and conjure up a strong will to win every game, no matter what happened the previous one."

Seeing Goo in the stands will be a huge change next season, but the faces on the floor will remain largely the same. April Atuaia is the only senior. The loss of the Kahuku High graduate takes away a powerful presence inside and out, and a soothing personality. But she, too, will be watching from a distance.

"I look forward to watching them next year," Atuaia says. "They are going to be a good team. I look forward to watching them grow on and off the court."

The conference is just as curious about what Goo and Atuaia will leave behind. San Jose State coach Janice Richard surveyed Goo's roster this season and wasn't real anxious for a return trip to paradise.

"You see a lot of good things out of a lot of young Hawai'i players," Richard says. "When you name those freshman and think about how successful they are going to be in the future, it's scary."

It might be scarier to think about all those underclassmen without Goo around to chaperone. His 100-percent graduation rate and status as the winningest college basketball coach in Hawai'i history were built around a very structured system populated by few prized recruits. He taught players to succeed. Teaching takes time and talent, to say nothing of the pupil's willingness to learn.

The personalities that fit Goo's program best were not necessarily his best basketball players. He could never name his "all-time team," but he didn't hesitate to list an "all-tough" team, "in the sense of discipline and reaching potential:" BJ Itoman, Judy Mosley, Raylene Howard, Tania Brunton and Tondi Redden.

"These are kids that came every day, every game," Goo said. "All they ever asked is not to come out of the game."

This team showed those tendencies, through tough times. They were worth one last cheer, and might be worth more in the future.

OVER AND BACK: Kalani High graduate and former Rainbow Wahine associate head coach George Wolfe will not return as Portland State's head coach next year. Wolfe, 50, and PSU athletics director Tom Burman made the announcement Monday at a team meeting. Wolfe was 43-97 in five years at Portland State. He had the second-longest tenure in the history of the 30-year-old program.