Jeff Portnoy talks about Hawaii hoops

Jeff Portnoy is a lawyer. Additionally, he is the longtime color announcer for the Rainbow Warrior radio broadcasts. He also blogs about UH basketball for the Honolulu Advertiser. His bonafides vis-à-vis Hawaii hoops go back four decades so he can definitely be considered one of the 'go-to' guys for insight about the program.

PTW recently talked with him about the current coaching search and other basketball elements.

About the various coaching candidates mentioned so far -- at least the ones with a modicum of credibility -- Portnoy offered this insight: "The various constituencies representing each one are leaking information on what they want to happen."

As for names, according to multiple newspaper reports, St. Mary's Associate Head Coach Kyle Smith interviewed this past weekend. Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon, a former assistant at Hawaii, has strongly promoted Smith. That means something to Portnoy because, "Dixon coached here and has an understanding of what it is like and what it takes to be successful. So I put more credibility into his recommendation than say if Tom Izzo -- who is a fine coach but has no insight regarding the program -- offered a recommendation for someone."

Gib Arnold falls into the favorite son category for having graduated from one of the most prestigious high schools in Hawaii and also as the progeny of a former Hawaii head basketball coach. Arnold is another strong contender, one who has the backing of some of the economic elite involved with UH athletics. He interviewed this past Monday.

Then there is the darkhorse. "Northern Colorado's Tad Boyle meets all the qualifications," Portnoy explained. "He is a head coach, been successful in Greeley, Colorado and the Hawaii position would be a step up for him."

Additionally, Steve Barnes, the Associate Head Coach at Southern Mississippi (he was also the head coach at San Jose State from 1999 to 2002 and posted a 39-51 record) is being mentioned. "He knows Riley Wallace and Riley has put in a good word for him," Portnoy said.

If he were doing the interviewing, here is what Portnoy would be looking for: "The answers to questions are not as important as the face-to-face reactions of the candidates. How excited is he? Does he want the job or does he need the job? Does it come across that he can do something for Hawaii basketball?"

Continuing on, he added, "A sense of what it will take to succeed is critical. The next coach will need to completely understand about coaching in Hawaii and also the living environment. The travel is so far different from any other position, the distance for recruiting too. Coaches can't hop in the car and drive to see a prospect."

We then ventured into the world of recruiting, the lifeblood of all coaches and the most prominent key to a successful coaching tenure. Asked if Hawaii can sign quality prep players, Portnoy said, "That's a big question. There is very little local D-1 talent. There is a significant Pacific Islander community here that produces football players but there is also a lack of any significant African American community and most of it is military and transient. The geography leaves family, girlfriends at least 2,500 miles away so you be will away from them."

He added, "It's really a whole different ballgame and difficult to convince high school kids to make the trip. So the next coach will need to recruit outside the traditional recruiting bases, like in Australia, Europe and Japan. But despite the obstacles in recruiting high school kids, I think it can get done. However, it's certainly more difficult than at mainland D-1 programs."

"It's also not a dead end job," Portnoy explained, offering Dixon's name and also Scott Rigot, who assisted at Kentucky and now is working in the same capacity at Duquesne. "But the previous coaches who had the position saw it as an end, not as a means to an end. It's been three decades of older coaches who saw the job as the end of their careers."

Portnoy desires a "young, aggressive assistant from a West Coast school who can relate to the players."

There is also this reality. "Fans are very tired of the halfcourt basketball style." he explained. "The next coach needs to understand that uptempo basketball puts people in the seats. However, an uptempo style requires a certain type of player who we have not been able to get lately."

Then there is the opening at Boise State, one that offers a better upside. "Boise pays more," Portnoy said "and is committed to getting out of the WAC."

He also inserts a strong element of realism into the prognosis for the Rainbow Warrior basketball program: "Being competitive in the WAC and having a shot to win the league tournament" is what Portnoy views as reasonable goals for the program.