When Dana Takahara-Dias was named the University of Hawai'i women's basketball coach she asked to see the schedule she inherited.

When they showed it to her, she wondered, uh, where was the rest of it?

"It was surprise, surprise," Takahara-Dias said.

If there is a symbol of just how much the program she has taken over is a work in progress, the schedule the Rainbow Wahine will play this season would seem to be it.

With the chaotic, drawn-out change in coaching staffs, more than half the non-conference schedule remained to be booked when Takahara-Dias got down to work last month. Of a possible 15 non-conference games (Western Athletic Conference games are set by the conference office), just six were signed, sealed and delivered. Pukas abounded.

Which might not have made for an emergency if tipoff had been 12 months out. But with four months to go, the pickings are both slim and getting more expensive. To get teams here and lacking leverage, UH has to offer a more enticing package to the few that still have options. Otherwise, the Rainbow Wahine hit the road at a cost, both competitively and cash-wise.

Not that you will catch Takahara-Dias publicly complaining. Maybe she is still so new to the job she has yet to fathom how deep a hole in which she labors. Or, more likely, her roll-up-the-sleeves grit and determination have already kicked in as she embraces the challenge.

Whether the Rainbow Wahine can salvage a complete 31-game schedule remains to be seen. But she makes one thing clear: "We are not, by any means, giving up," Takahara-Dias said.

Whoever the Rainbow Wahine end up with, Takahara-Dias maintains, "We'll be excited to play anyone. We'll play our hearts out."

Good thing, too, because one of more recent additions to the UH schedule sends the Rainbow Wahine to play UCLA in Westwood. This is in addition to an existing home game with Arizona State, among others.

The idea, Takahara-Dias said, "is to prepare our team for conference play. For me, the whole push is to prepare our team for the WAC. At this juncture, we're willing to play whoever comes our way. If that means Top 25 teams ...

"Over the long haul, it will make us a better team in the end," Takahara-Dias said.

For the moment, though, just getting a schedule to start the season with is challenge enough.