*** New AD Matt Elliott Thread ***

[My3Cats]

I went back to page one of this thread to re-review the selection committee names and sadly came to the conclusion that the chosen AD will be someone who will not move the needle forward and mostly remain to the status quo. I still hold out hope to be pleasantly surprised, but not optimistic.

[kapakahi]

https://twitter.com/Mike_SBN/status/1930060057388953924

[kapakahi]

https://twitter.com/Brian_McInnis/status/1930535506494005530

https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/1930622587370865146

[BigWave96744]

Upon Board Approval

[BigWave96744]

If he has to hire a new Football coach, here's some with Hawaii tie that were at UCLA when he was on staff:
》Ikaika Malloe (Current Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach, 2021–present)Ties to Hawaii: A native of Waimanalo, Hawaii, and a Kamehameha Schools graduate, Malloe played college football at the University of Washington but has strong Hawaiian roots. He served as the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in 2008 under Greg McMackin. Malloe is considered a strong recruiter, particularly for players of Polynesian descent, and was a candidate for the Hawaii head coaching job in 2022.
》Brian Norwood (Current Assistant Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator/Safeties, 2020–present)Ties to Hawaii: Norwood, a Honolulu native, played defensive back at the University of Hawaii from 1984 to 1988, lettering for four years. He later coached at Navy (1995–1998, 2019) and served as UCLA’s defensive backs coach since 2020, with additional roles as associate head coach and passing game coordinator.
》Adrian Klemm (Former Offensive Line Coach, 2012–2016)Ties to Hawaii: A former standout offensive lineman at the University of Hawaii (1996–1999), Klemm coached at UCLA from 2012 to 2016 as the offensive line coach and later as run game coordinator. He is currently the offensive line coach for the New England Patriots.
》Jeff Ulbrich (Former Assistant Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers, 2004–2011)Ties to Hawaii: Ulbrich, born in Honolulu, played college football at the University of Hawaii as a linebacker. He served as an assistant coach at UCLA, coaching special teams and linebackers, before moving to the NFL, where he is currently the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets.
》Chad Kauha’aha’a (Former Defensive Line Coach, 2015–2016)Ties to Hawaii: A Honolulu native, Kauha’aha’a coached the defensive line at UCLA from 2015 to 2016. He previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii and was mentioned as a potential candidate for the Hawaii head coaching job in 2022.
》Tony Tuioti (Former Defensive Line Coach, 2017–2018)Ties to Hawaii: A former defensive lineman at the University of Hawaii, Tuioti coached the defensive line at UCLA from 2017 to 2018. He was also noted as a candidate for the Hawaii head coaching job in 2022 and is currently the defensive line coach at Oregon.

[kapakahi]

https://twitter.com/UHPresident/status/1930687500089020697

https://twitter.com/HawaiiAthletics/status/1930695199443025992

[My3Cats]

A pleasant surprise. Best wishes on a tough job.

[kapakahi]

https://twitter.com/c_shimabuku/status/1930817982600794211

https://twitter.com/KyleChinen/status/1930843624700576100

[Walkoff Balk]

One of the candidates is from UCLA. If we can't beat em in football, men's volleyball, and women's basketball. Please come to our side.

I was kinda right.
Humble brag.

[BigWave96744]

Not sure if the new AD had any input on approving this but the Men's Bball team just got a huge upgrade in the GM position.

Time for the football team to up their game and get bowl eligible. 4th year is NOT a rebuilding year and time for excuses

Please see and comment on the hiring if NBA player Patty Mills at the link below
https://www.sportshawaii.com/sh/viewtopic.php?t=53067

[poidog]

Wait, has it ever been disclosed what his wrong doings were? You got a link to a post I can check out?

My theory on why he was dismissed, based only on my personal view of the situation:

There were concurrent negotiations with both the Pac12 and the MWC. My guess is that we had a potential offer to join the Pac 12 but with travel subsidies (and other compromises) along with an offer to join the MWC, subsidy-free. People will balk at this, but here are the facts:

1. It was in the Pac12's best interests to break up the MWC to void the poaching penalties
2. After USU decided to leave, the MWC could not afford anyone else leaving or they would lose the majority required to keep the conference together and enforce the poaching fees
3. UH was not subject to the same poaching/exit fees because of being a football-only member

I think Angelos felt that full-time membership in the MWC without travel subsidies was the better option and probably negotiated for this without clear consent from the people above him: Lassner, and unoficially, Josh Green and Rick Blangiardi. I believe those parties favored Pac12 membership, even with travel subsidies and other caveats, but Angelos took us too far down the road with the MWC. Once details of the potential deal became public, there was no way to backtrack and UH's fate was sealed.

When you consider that the MWC and the Pac12 are in mediation with regard to the actual amount they will have to pay in poaching fees, it looks like going to the Pac12 would have been the better play. If mediation determines that the Pac12 owes significantly less than the original amount, the fees paid to UNLV and AFA to stay in the MWC will be much less than what was promised, and may not be enough to keep them from leaving. If those two teams leave, I don't know who could come in and replace them. The Pac12 will have won the war.

UH being the potential dagger in the heart of the MWC was the best negotiating position it will have ever been in to get into a better conference. That was our window, and it closed because of potential shortsightedness. And if there is any truth to my theory, I think it makes a lot of sense.

There were comments from Josh Green or someone else about Angelos being let go because he announced the MWC membership, and people (like Kuulei Agbayani) who chalked it up to him being let go because he wanted to "take credit" for the move. I don't think this is the case at all. I think Angelos announcing the deal killed our negotating leverage with the Pac12 and cornered the university into a decision that wasn't his to make. That is what Josh Green actually meant.

People will say that the Pac12 denied that there was any offer made to UH and cite that as proof that the above theory is wrong. But people don't understand that offers are not formally made until both sides agree upon the details and agree that the offer will be accepted. We see this all the time in the news where people or entities deny, deny, deny a thing and then only confirm it once the decision has been formalized. That is how business is actually done when it comes to high-leverage situations like this. Also, the fact that there are rumors that the Pac12 is willing to take UNR to help land UNLV shows that they are willing to compromise when it makes sense.

Craig Angelos was a good guy and probably a decent AD, but I think his vision was a little too small for the job. Hiring external consultants to auction of limited-edition jerseys to raise a few thousand dollars is good and all, but we need an AD who can fundraise in the hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. We also need someone who knows when to sacrifice upfront for the better long-term play.

I hope the Pac12/MWC mediation favors the MWC to a degree where it helps keep the conference together, but I am worried that we'll be right back where we were a year from now.

[BigWave96744]

Just confirmed, now time to bring some positive news to Manoa

[kapakahi]

https://www.khon2.com/sports/matt-ellio ... -director/

https://twitter.com/Brian_McInnis/status/1934714597656997962

https://twitter.com/c_shimabuku/status/1934714613154894088

https://twitter.com/UHPresident/status/1934716610188607702

https://twitter.com/RobDeMelloKHON/status/1934720319555817808

https://twitter.com/HawaiiAthletics/status/1934742150518067377

https://twitter.com/uhmanoa/status/1934762391012626886

[BigWave96744]

His make or break legacy will be what to do with TC and Ganot's contract at the end of their season. AD's feather in their cap usually is remembered by who they choose to lead the 2 money making programs.

[kapakahi]

https://twitter.com/Mike_SBN/status/1936262065825411196