The University of Hawai'i athletic department recently completed a formal investigation into allegations that Rainbow Wahine basketball head coach Jim Bolla mistreated players during his four-year tenure with the team.

The investigation was sparked by complaints from current and former players following the end of the 2007-08 season. A formal report by investigators affiliated with the university was forwarded to UH athletic director Jim Donovan.

Investigators contacted current and former players — including those from previous Bolla teams at UH — as well as Bolla and assistant coach Pat Charity, who also was identified in some of the complaints.

Donovan, citing university policy, as well as state and federal privacy laws, would not confirm the investigation and said he could not comment on any aspect of the situation.

Reached Thursday in Las Vegas, Bolla said he was aware that a report was being prepared but said he also could not comment on any aspect of the situation.

If any of the claims are substantiated, Bolla could face disciplinary action up to the termination of his contract. The athletic department also could opt for gentler corrective measures, such as a mediation of misunderstandings between Bolla and his players.

Bolla is entering the second year of a four-year contract that was renewed last summer by then-athletic director Herman Frazier.

Bolla has a 56-57 record at UH. Last season the Wahine finished 12-18 overall and 6-10 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The complaints against Bolla, initially raised on anonymous end-of-season evaluation forms given to the players, primarily focus on what some players considered ongoing verbal abuse and intimidation by Bolla, particularly against players inherited from former head coach Vince Goo.

One former player who spoke to The Advertiser and asked not to be identified said Bolla verbally abused her in and out of practice and games, made derogatory comments about her weight, and questioned her about her sexuality.

"I believe when you enter into college you are in a very fragile place and coaches should be there to help you, not hurt you," said the player, who no longer resides in Hawai'i. "I was treated very bad by the coaching staff until my senior year and more towards the end."

The player said she voiced her concerns to the athletic department in hopes of making things easier for the players she left behind.

"I want a healthy basketball program at UH and I want it to be something I can and will be proud of as an alumni," she said. "We were never taken seriously as women and (were) very often degraded, and it is not fair."

'A LOT ... DON'T LIKE HIM'

Negative evaluations of coaches by players are not unusual, although they rarely resulted in formal investigations under Donovan's predecessors.

Rising sophomore point guard Keisha Kanekoa said she was aware that players from previous Wahine squads had repeatedly approached the athletic department with complaints about Bolla.

Kanekoa said she was never singled out by Bolla, but acknowledged that a serious rift existed between him and the team last season.

"A lot of players don't like him," she said. "They don't like his style or the way he goes about things — the way he carries himself. We all talk in the locker room and it's hard to say that anyone is on his side.

"In practice, he's very old school. He has his set ways. It's either his way or the highway."

Kanekoa, Bolla's prize local recruit last year, said Bolla "swore a lot" and was particularly hard on reserve center Iwona Zagrobelna, who has since graduated and is pursuing a professional playing career in her native Poland.

Kanekoa said it was her impression that Bolla's assistants also are intimidated by him.

"They're scared of him," she said. "You've got to be on the same page, but they're all on different pages because they're intimidated by him."

Still, Kanekoa maintains that she is "OK" with her coach and that she is willing "to make the best of the situation" if he retains his job.

"It's all right," she said. "My opinion is that he's all right."

LOOKING AT POSITIVES

While current players anxiously await the outcome of the report, Shannon Nishi, a reserve guard who graduated last year, said she is ready to move on.

"I had a great experience (with the program) and I met a lot of great people," she said. "It taught me a lot about how to prepare for the next chapter in my life.

"It was definitely a learning experience. It depends on whichever way you look at it, but I would rather take the positives from it and I don't want to say anything negative."

Asked about Bolla's positive attributes, Donovan noted that the coach has been "pretty good" in recruiting productive student-athletes.

Donovan recently authorized the hiring of another assistant coach for the program, a position that has remained vacant for more than a year. Posting for the position closed on July 14, but a decision is not expected until sometime after Bolla returns to Honolulu tomorrow.

Bolla has also spoken with Donovan regarding other program needs, including a director of operations position.

"I try to interact with all of our coaches, and I can see myself having more interaction with Jim," Donovan said.