The University of Hawaii women’s basketball team’s coaching staff is now complete.
Brad Langston has been hired to fill the last vacancy on the staff led by fifth-year head coach Laura Beeman, UH announced on Wednesday.
Langston’s addition to the UH staff as an assistant coach will mark his entry into Division I coaching. According to the UH release, he spent eight years in player development and was an assistant coach at West Campus High School in Sacramento, Calif., for the last five years. He also founded the Evolution Skills Academy.
“His charismatic and warm personality made him an immediate fit into our ohana,” Beeman said in the UH release. “Brad’s strength in player development could not come at a better time for us. With our young roster, his ability to teach, motivate and develop players is immeasurable not only on, but off the court as well.”
Calamity McEntire, recently hired as assistant to the head coach, will serve as recruiting coordinator and handle scheduling along with on-court coaching and scouting. Langston will be involved in “player development, on-court coaching, scouting and offensive and defensive strategies.”
McEntire and Langston join associate coach Alex Delanian, who returns for his third year, on the UH staff. They fill the roles held by Mary Wooley and Dekita Williams last season.
Spieler semifinalist for NCAA honor
Graduated Hawaii beach volleyball All-American Katie Spieler is one of 30 semifinalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year, it was announced on Wednesday.
Spieler helped lead the Rainbow Wahine to the inaugural Big West championship last spring en route to her second AVCA All-America honor and first CoSIDA Academic All-America honor. She and Emily Maglio also were named the conference’s Pairs Team of the Year.
Spieler completed two degrees in accounting at UH, including an accelerated master’s degree, concluding her education with a complete 4.0 grade point average. Spieler was a member of three national tournament teams, was selected to the Dean’s List seven times and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Spieler finished her beach career with a program-best 102 victories and received the beach volleyball NCAA Elite 90 Award. She also was named the Jack Bonham Award winner, presented to Hawaii’s top senior female student-athlete.
The winner from all three NCAA levels will be announced on Oct. 16 at the Woman of the Year banquet in Indianapolis. The selection committee will name nine finalists later this month.
Hamilton eliminated in California
Kauai’s Bethany Hamilton was eliminated by Australia’s Nikki Van Dijk at the Swatch Women’s Pro on Wednesday in San Clemente, Calif.
Hamilton’s second round score of 6.13 was topped by Van Dijk’s 6.53.
Tatiana Weston-Webb, another Kauai resident, edged Makaha’s Alessa Quizon and California’s Sage Erickson to advance. Erickson’s 5.33 fell short of Weston-Webb’s 5.63.
Honolulu’s Carissa Moore cruised to victory after her score of 15.17 beat South Africa’s Biance Buitendag (14.00) and fellow Honolulu native Coco Ho (6.13)
Also advancing was Wailua’s Malia Manuel, whose first round total of 14.50 surpassed that of Lakey Peterson (11.40) and Sally Fitzgibbons (10.93), the other competitors in her heat.