Carl McGown, whose Brigham Young men's volleyball teams won two national men's titles, has agreed to serve as a consultant for the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team during the fall semester.

"He's one of the best," UH coach Mike Wilton said.

McGown will fill the position vacated by Aaron Wilton, who resigned as assistant coach to pursue a master's degree at Sacramento State. Mike Wilton said UH still is seeking a full-time assistant coach. That coach will join the team in early December.

McGown was head coach of the U.S. national team for four years in the 1970s. He also has coached in six World Championships and six Olympics.

He founded the BYU men's volleyball program in 1990, leading the Cougars to national championships in 1999 and 2001. He retired from BYU in 2002.

"When I knew Aaron was leaving, that's when I started talking to him," Wilton said. "We figured out a way to make it work."

McGown, who is a featured instructor at coaches' clinics across the country, "realized how much I enjoy being in the gym. You can only play so much golf."

He said he welcomed the opportunity to work with Wilton, whom he tried to hire twice at BYU. "We couldn't make it work here," he said during a telephone interview from Provo, Utah. "Now we'll try to make it work there."

As a professor and coach at Church College of Hawai'i (now known as BYU-Hawai'i), McGown was Wilton's thesis adviser. "He also was coach of the men's club, and I got to play on it," Wilton said. "We've maintained a good friendship through the years."

McGown said: "He's one of my best friends on Earth."

McGown, 67, declined Wilton's offer to coach through the 2006 season.

"My wife has some health problems," McGown said. "We took a year and a half to get to a baseline. She has doctors' appointments. We have some little medical concerns about her being away too long from where we've developed nice treatment routines."

The McGowns have signed the lease on an apartment in Manoa.

Wilton said McGown will be involved in all aspects of fall training. The Warriors expect 28 players to report. The roster will be trimmed to about 18 in December, a limit that will be based on the athletic department's gender-equity ratio.

UH recently announced its 2006 schedule. The alumni match is Jan. 7.

The Warriors play road matches against UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Cal State Northridge, Southern California, Pacific and Stanford.

They host Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches against UC Irvine, Long Beach State, UCLA, UC San Diego and Brigham Young.