Legendary Hawaii volleyball coach Dave Shoji hasn’t officially walked off into the sunset.
But the school is preparing for a new era as it took the unusual step Monday of announcing a national search for his position, contingent upon Shoji’s “anticipated retirement.”
The 7o-year-old Shoji has coached the Rainbow Wahine for 42 years, amassing 1,202 career wins and four national titles, and recently every season had ended with speculation that he’ll call it a career.
Shoji has been on leave since December when he announced he was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.
“Coach Shoji means so much to the University of Hawaii,” athletic director David Matlin said in a release. “We’ve been meeting regularly and determined that this was the best step as we move forward with the future of the Rainbow Wahine program.”
Trap’s back
Baseball coach Mike Trapasso figures to be back for at least more seasons after Hawaii gave him a one-year extension on a contract that takes him through the 2018 season.
In 2016, Trapasso’s 15th season, the Rainbow Warriors struggled to a 21-32 record, but he’s recorded nine winning seasons, eight of which netted 30 wins, and is a three-time conference Coach of the Year.
“We’re excited about the upcoming 2017 campaign,” Matlin said. “Coach Trapasso and his staff have put together a top recruiting class to allow them to compete in a challenging Big West Conference.”
Allen again
Noah Allen was named Big West Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the second time this season after leading Hawaii (11-11, 5-4 Big West) to road wins at UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge in which he averaged 20.5 points per game.
Averaging a league-best 18.4 points in conference games, the senior transfer tied a career-high with 34 points Saturday in a 76-72 win at Northridge. Seven of those points fueled a key 13-2 run that sparked a comeback.
Just 1 1/2 games out of first place in the Big West, the Rainbow Warriors host Cal Poly at 7 p.m. Thursday.
