Head coaches react to sudden dismissal of UH athletics director

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The University of Hawaii sports community and its supporters are still trying to make sense of Tuesday’s sudden dismissal of athletics director Craig Angelos.
The head coaches of two of the university’s biggest sports spoke Wednesday morning after the sudden shift in leadership in their department.
Men’s basketball head coach Eran Ganot said, “Everybody’s kind of in the same boat in terms of the surprise about when you hear the news, and why surprise? Because there’s nothing that could tell you that was coming.”
Ganot and football head coach Timmy Chang praised Angelos for the work he did for the betterment of the programs.
“(He’s a) great person and I enjoyed our conversations and our work together, and his vision, and the things that he was trying to do for our university,” Chang told reporters.
Ganot said, “I can say with great confidence from this end, from our program, and talking to the people I’ve talked to and the coaches, that everything has been in terms of performance been pretty high and in a short time, and during a tumultuous time in college athletics.”
Ganot added, “First year, you’re sitting there watching, you know, okay wow, this guy’s got a really good work ethic.”
In a brief statement issued Tuesday, the university said associate athletics director Lois Manin will serve as the interim until incoming president Wendy Hensel takes office.
Some coaches welcome the continuity as Manin has been on Lower Campus for years.
“I love Lois. You know, Lois knew me as an 18-year-old and watched me grow up, and so having her in the department and having a reliable resource and then someone that you’re comfortable with and know and understand, she’ll do a great job,” Chang said.
Despite that support, Manin clarified on Wednesday that she will not be applying for the permanent job.
Many student-athletes campus wide have signed a petition started by UH men’s volleyball player Kurt Nusterer to help retain Angelos.
In less than 24 hours, the petition had thousands of signatures with comments commending Angelos’ efforts to help all sports, no matter the size or popularity.
“Craig Angelos is a big advocate for the golf team, did a lot for volleyball you know, women’s soccer team, all those other sports that often get kind of swept aside,” Nusterer said. “He was very intentional about caring for them and advocating them and building a relationship with the student-athletes on that team.”
Nusterer told Hawaii News Now he plans to make his case to the Board of Regents, which is scheduled to meet Thursday at 9 a.m.
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