HONOLULU -- Hawaii associate men's basketball coach Bob
Nash, who has been a part of the program for nearly three decades,
was selected as the Rainbow Warriors' head coach on Friday.
The 56-year-old Nash, a former NBA player, was chosen from a
pool of 71 candidates.
"We conducted a national search, and our national search
brought us back to one of our own," Hawaii athletics director
Herman Frazier said.
Frazier said Nash's contract is a three-year deal. Terms were
not disclosed.
Nash served as an assistant coach for the past 23 seasons and
also was a graduate assistant for two seasons. He played on
Hawaii's so-called "Fabulous Five" during the 1970-71 and 1971-72
seasons.
In those years, the team compiled a 47-8 record, and made the
postseason twice, including the school's first NCAA tournament.
Nash averaged 16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds and still holds the
school record for rebounds in a game (30) and single season (361).
Nash was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the seventh overall
pick in the 1972 draft. He spent four years with the Pistons and
Kansas City Kings and also spent a year with the ABA's San Diego
Conquistadors.
Nash said his many years at Hawaii did not guarantee him the
job.
Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier interviewed a few candidates on the mainland this past week, including Rice coach Willis Wilson and Portland Trail Blazers assistant Dean Demopoulos.
"I never felt there was any type of entitlement. I wanted to
earn this position," he said. "I've worked my butt off to get
here and I plan on working my butt off to stay here. This is where
I want to be."
But the fan favorite from the outset has been Nash. Few coaches know how to recruit to the Island more than Nash. His son, Bobby Nash, will be a senior on the team next season. This would also mean that the top assistant and top recruiter, Jackson Wheeler, would also stay with the team.
He replaces longtime coach Riley Wallace, who is retiring after
20 years at Hawaii. His contract, which expires April 30, does not
allow for an extension or renewal, effectively forcing him to
retire.
Wallace is the school's winningest coach with 334 victories. The
Rainbow Warriors finished this past season 18-13, missing the
postseason for the third straight year.
"I appreciate him getting me to this point, but he's clipped
the wings and I have to fly on my own and I'm very capable of doing
that," Nash said.
Wearing a maile lei and silk Hawaiian shirt, Nash said he
intends to run the team differently from Wallace, making the squad
more of a transition team with an up-tempo offense with physical
training year round.
"It's a fast-paced game. I want them to have fun with the game.
I want to give them freedom to create a little bit more and not be
so rigid in our offense," he said.
Nash's low-key demeanor is also in contrast to the outspoken
Wallace, who was often seen barking at players while pacing along
the sideline.
"I've always been my own my man in terms of the way I
thought," Nash said. "I have bumped heads with Riley on the way I
thought we should do things."
Nash said he's always wanted to be head coach and even applied
for the post when Wallace was hired. But he was told by
then-athletic director Stan Sheriff that he wasn't ready, so Nash
waited patiently for two decades, honing his skills.
"I didn't know it was going to take 20 years to hone them, but
I've been honing my skills," he said.
He's had other opportunities, but wanted to stay in Hawaii. His
son, Bobby Nash, is a starting forward on the team.
First on his list of duties: "Kiss my wife," he said.
Information from ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.