UH narrows coach search
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
A committee helping to select the next University of Hawai'i women's basketball coach has conducted telephone interviews with at least four semifinalists, school officials have confirmed.
Da Houl, a Rainbow Wahine assistant coach, and Bo Overton, assistant for the Oklahoma Lady Sooners, said they participated in separate teleconferences with the eight-member selection committee. The job was vacated when Vince Goo retired at the end of the 2003-04 season.
HOUL
The other two semifinalists have not been identified. People familiar with the situation said Beth Burns, a former head coach at Ohio State and San Diego State, is believed to be a candidate. She could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Louisiana Tech assistant coach Chris Long, former Nevada-Las Vegas coach Jim Bolla and New Orleans men's assistant coach Patrick Harrington were recommended as candidates, although they do not appear to be semifinalists.
"I've talked with them," Long said, "but I haven't been (formally) interviewed."
Bolla declined to comment about his interest in the job, other than to say he owns a successful business in Las Vegas.
Don Murphy, president of Na Koa Football Club, forwarded Harrington's application to the committee.
"I've known him for a couple of years," said Murphy, who was host to the New Orleans team during last year's adidas Festival. A spokeswoman said Harrington is on vacation and unavailable for comment through Memorial Day.
The search committee has been instructed to pare the list of applicants to three finalists. Spokeswoman Lois Manin, speaking on behalf of Frazier, said the AD then will invite all or some of the finalists for in-person interviews on the Manoa campus.
After that, Frazier will make his choice on Goo's successor.
Frazier's recommendation will be forwarded to UH-Manoa chancellor Peter Englert and then the school's Board of Regents for final approval. Manin said Frazier will not present a choice to the regents at next week's meeting.
Although Houl's office is in the athletic department complex, she was interviewed by telephone yesterday morning. Houl was told a telephone interview would "make it fair to everybody."
Houl, 39, has spent 16 years at UH as a standout point guard, graduate assistant and assistant coach. If hired, Houl said, she would try to maintain the Rainbow Wahine's academic and athletic success. "My style would be different," she said, "because I'm not Vince Goo."
Overton is an Oklahoma graduate, playing on the Sooner team that faced Michael Jordan-led North Carolina in the 1982 Rainbow Classic. As an assistant coach, he helped guide the Lady Sooners to the NCAA Women's Final Four in 2002.
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops recommended Overton to the UH search committee.
"Vince Goo set a great foundation for a great program," said Overton, who insists the Rainbow Wahine can become a national power. "There's no excuse why we can't do that."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
