(photo from Star Advertiser link below)
Dana Takahara-Dias
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sportspremium/20120308_wahine_hoops_coach_fired.html
She was originally hired back in 2009 to replace Jim Bolla.
Jim Bolla was not just a loser on win-loss records, Bolla was also an abusive jerk that has been to use vicious insults on his players and even kicked one of them!
I wrote a blog post on that issue back in April 25, 2009
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/04/jim-bolla-fired.html
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So Dana Takahara-Dias was hired in part to fix the wounds left behind by Jim Bolla!
However, there were many questions about Takahara-Dias qualifications when she was hired.
Yes, she was former UH basketball player!
Yes, she had coaching experience!
But that experience was at the high school level!
Coaching at the college level is a lot more intense. There is recruiting, there is long-distance traveling (especially for Hawaii), students who are more independent, and of course, the much higher pressure to win.
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Another issue that comes up is with attendance.
There isn't much of a crowd at UH Wahine basketball games.
Yes, Hawaii fan DO support women's sports!
Just look at the UH Wahine volleyball games! They got the HIGHEST number in attendance IN ALL OF women's college volleyball!
Women's volleyball in Hawaii makes a financial profit! (not true at most other schools)
And the UH Wahine softball team has had big crowds at their games this season.
So the low attendance at UH women's basketball games has NOTHING to do with gender and EVERYTHING to do with winning & losing!
It all reminds me of what I remember reading from (ex-football coach) Bob Wagner's book in which he said about fans/customers/ recruits/ etc.
People want to gain good feeling and avoid bad feelings
Which is why fans are willing to crowd the stadiums for winning teams! And why fans will not show up to watch losing teams.
It explains why fans love to crowd the stadiums to watch the very successful UH Wahine volleyball and softball teams.
It also explains the low attendance at UH Wahine basketball games, as well as declining attendance at UH football games towards the end of last season!
And with the economy not being that great, it was even more important for the UH Athletic Department to find a coach that can get the UH Wahine basketball winning, and getting fans into the arena!
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And there's the challenge of recruiting of UH Wahine basketball!
In Hawaii, the dominant sport for female athletes is volleyball!
It is a different story in many parts of the continental US, where in many urban areas in the Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast, basketball tends to be the dominant sport for both males and females.
And even with the successful female high school basketball players from Hawaii, not all of them want to play for UH. Like athletes in many other sports, some of want the continental experience instead of playing for UH!
And to recruit female basketball players from the continental US, it will be hard to convince them to play college basketball at a place where they'll usually get less hype than the mega-popular Wahine volleyball team!
This is NOT to say it's "all a doomed effort".
UH Wahine basketball had some success in the past when Vince Goo was the coach. He was able to recruit the top local talent as well as some outside talent as well.
That success should be repeated again.
Hopefully, they'll get someone who has college coaching experience, can recruit Hawaii and outside, and can bring fans back to the arena!
