Mark "Doc" Mugiishi, who never played high school basketball but coached Iolani to seven boys state titles, officially announced his retirement after 20 seasons today by telling his players he would not be returning in 2009-2010.

Mugiishi, 49, is a practicing surgeon at Central Medical Clinic, medical director of Cellular Bioengineering, Inc., an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine, director of surgical medicine at Kuakini Medical Center and associate medical director at HMSA.

He also sits on Iolani's Board of Governors.

"With the amount of things going on, something had to go," Mugiishi told The Advertiser. "I love (coaching) so much, it was hard to let it go. But it was getting to the point where it was not fair if I couldn't put in the time that's required.

All these years I've been telling the kids that if you want to be good at something, you gotta have commitment and you have to make sacrifices.

"I can't look them in the eye and tell them that if I couldn't do it myself."

Mugiishi, a 1977 Iolani graduate, won his first state title in 1994.

He helped lead the Raiders to five state titles in a row from 2002 through 2006.

Mugiishi guided Iolani to 16 state tournament berths, including 14 straight from 1996 through 2009. He finished with an overall record of 463-125.