Lame Duck Coach Readies Hawaii for San Diego St.

Sunshine and picturesque beaches would seem to make it easy for the University of Hawaii basketball coach to attract recruits and build a program.

Hawaii Coach Larry Little knows better.

He announced his resignation Tuesday. It will be effective at the end of this season, which is mired in a 4-12 record including eight consecutive losses.

The Rainbows are 0-6 in the Western Athletic Conference entering tonight’s league game against San Diego State at 9:35 in the Neal Blaisdell Center (KSDO-1130).

Little has a 97-137 record in nine seasons at Hawaii. Attendance has dropped considerably, and the coach has been blamed for recruiting too many junior college players and transfers.

According to the Star-Bulletin, Little was told by the Hawaii athletic department that he could either be relieved of his coaching duties and give way to an interim coach, or resign and finish the season.

When four players who signed with Hawaii this season could not get into school because of academic deficiencies, Little was blamed for the type of student the program was attracting.

Little directed the Rainbows to three consecutive winning seasons before the team dropped to 12-16 overall and 6-10 in the WAC last year. Before coming to Hawaii, Little’s record was 100-33 at Centenary. With Robert Parish as Little’s top player, Centenary went 21-4 in 1974, 25-4 in 1975 and 22-5 in 1976.

This season, Hawaii’s lone claim to fame is an 81-64 upset victory over Oregon State, the Beavers’ only loss of the season.

Aside from that victory, it has been a season filled with disappointment and controversy.

With three minutes remaining in the first half of Hawaii’s 76-64 loss to Utah on Jan. 12, starting forward Sam Johnson left the bench after being taken out of the game.

He hasn’t been with the team since.

It wasn’t the first time the 6-foot 3-inch senior Honolulu quit a team. Johnson was the starting tight end when he quit the football team this fall.

With the departure of Johnson, the Rainbows’ only one player from Hawaii is senior guard Mike Hutcherson of Oahu.

Finding talent in his backyard is one of the biggest problems Little has faced.

In his seven-paragraph prepared statement issued Tuesday, Little spoke of the recruiting problem.

“I would like to pay special tribute to my coaching staff. They have had to recruit student-athletes to attend college thousands of miles from their homes. The national trend of these young men preferring to stay near their homes for college has compounded this problem.”

Little is a “class guy with a big problem,” Aztec Coach Smokey Gaines said Wednesday.

“Most of the athletes in Hawaii are short and fat. They make better football players. There are not too many tall guys there, and there are very few Hawaiians who can play basketball.”

“One of the toughest things is sorting which students are really interested in attending Hawaii from those who just want a trip to Hawaii,” WAC commissioner Dr. Joseph Kearney said.

Chaminade Coach Merv Lopes has said he will apply for the job.

The Honolulu Advertiser reported that Cal State Fullerton Coach George McQuarn and Washington assistant coach Mike Frink are being considered for the job.