UH-Manoa notes: Men’s basketball seeks assistant

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The Hawaii men’s basketball team is taking names for a new assistant coach.

The Hawaii men’s basketball team is taking names for a new assistant coach.

A job posting went up Tuesday advertising the position on the “Work at UH” section of the university’s website.

The listing came as a surprise Wednesday morning, as no personnel moves for Eran Ganot’s staff have been announced. However, sources said assistant coach Chris Acker is being considered for an assistant position at Boise State of the Mountain West Conference.

Acker couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday. A UH spokesman had no comment other than to say there’s been no official staff movement yet.

The job posting states “Pending programmatic needs and position clearance” as a hiring condition. It says a review of applications will begin Tuesday afternoon but there is no listed closing date. One year of college coaching is listed as a minimum qualification.

There’s been no changes among the program’s three full assistant positions since Norm Parrish left for a small-college head job in Utah in August 2015, just three months after then-new coach Ganot hired him to Manoa.

Associate head coach Adam Jacobsen and assistants Acker and John Montgomery have been at UH since April, May and September of 2015, respectively. Only the director of basketball operations position has changed in the last year, from Jamie Smith to Todd Okeson.

Acker has taken the lead in the team’s defensive schemes and in player development, especially for the team’s big men. The former Chaminade guard previously coached at West Los Angeles College and Citrus College.

Wahine go Down Under for recruit

The women’s soccer team Thursday announced the addition of former Australia U-19 team player Kiri Dale.

Dale will have three years of eligibility at UH after spending two seasons, including a redshirt year in 2015, at Iona College in New York. Primarily an outside back, the 5-foot-7 native of Mullumbimby, New South Wales, Australia, also has the ability to play the center-back and outside-midfield positions.

“What I like about Kiri is that she is going to bring in a bunch of experience,” Hawaii coach Michele Nagamine said in a university release. “She played a lot at Iona and she has national team experience coming out of Australia. She’s got good size, she’s athletic, and she’s got some pace. She’s got a lot of passion for the game too, which always is the thing that pushes the kids over the top. I’m really excited to have her come in.”

Dale started 17 games for the Gaels in 2016, logging 1,293 minutes on the season. She had one assist on the year, and fired 10 shots, including six on goal.