Kentucky coach takes HPU post
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kelly Wells, a Kentucky high school basketball coach whose battle with kidney illness gained national attention, said he has agreed to become Hawai'i Pacific's new assistant men's basketball coach and assistant athletic director.
Wells joins his former college coach, J.D. Barnett, who is HPU's new athletic director and men's basketball coach.
"It's an absolute honor to have yourself in a position where you're beside one of the greatest basketball minds in probably the country," said Wells, who played one season under Barnett at the University of Tulsa.
Last spring, Wells underwent a kidney transplant, receiving a kidney donated by his wife, Shawne. Before the operation, Wells shouldered a full teaching load and boys' basketball duties for Mason County High School, which at the time was the top-ranked team in Kentucky. The story was featured in USA Today.
Since the transplant, Wells said he and his wife are in good health.
"We feel very comfortable in our situations," Wells said. "I got great doctors who are corresponding with doctors in Honolulu. We would have never tried to make a move of this nature if we didn't feel comfortable with our situation healthwise."
Wells has coached Mason County for the past seven seasons, compiling a 172-56 record and winning the past three 10th Region titles. Mason County won the school's first state title in 2003, and this past season finished 33-3 after losing in the state final.
"He'll be a very good fit," Barnett said. "He's a quality human being. He's been highly involved in the community in assorted charity efforts, and so has his team."
Barnett said the school is finalizing Wells' contract and declined to disclose any details.
"He's been offered the job," said Barnett, who has another coaching/administrative position open. "We just haven't gone through dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's."
Wells said he's made verbal agreements for the job with HPU, which competes in NCAA Division II. Wells said he plans to arrive in Hawai'i Tuesday. His wife and two-year-old daughter, Kaylee, are scheduled to arrive on Oct. 1.
Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.
