UH hoops coach search on hold

Advertiser Staff

The search for the next University of Hawai'i women's basketball coach has been put on hold until Tuesday because athletic director Herman Frazier is attending a funeral in Philadelphia.

But it appears that Da Houl, a Rainbow Wahine assistant coach, and Bo Overton, assistant coach for the Oklahoma women's team, are the front-runners to succeed Vince Goo, who retired at the end of last season after 17 years as head coach.

Florida State head coach Sue Semrau, believed to be the only active head coach among the final four contenders, has withdrawn from consideration.

"We had some preliminary talks, but I'll be at Florida State next year," Semrau said.

In seven years at FSU, Semrau is 92-110, with two winning seasons and one NCAA Tournament appearance. She has two years remaining on her contract, an FSU official said.

Semrau declined to say when she dropped out of consideration for the UH job. "I don't really want to talk about it," she said. "I had some preliminary talks with them. It was never anything very serious."

Houl, who has spent 16 years with the Rainbow Wahine as a player and then coach, described UH as "my home. I want to continue the journey."

Overton, a former Oklahoma guard, has received calls from other programs. "Hawai'i is where I want to go," he said. "It's a dream job of mine. I'm going to do what I need to do to get it."

Frazier's choice will be forwarded to UH-Manoa chancellor Peter Englert and then the Board of Regents for final approval.