HAWAII VOLLEYBALL
Wade moves on when Pacific offers head coaching job
He knows what he can do as an assistant. Now it's time for Charlie Wade to show what he can do as a head coach.
Wade, the associate coach for the Hawaii women's volleyball team the past 11 seasons, yesterday accepted an offer to become the fifth coach in Pacific's once-proud history. He leaves a place he considers home with mixed emotions, saying the decision was both easy and difficult to make.
"Hawaii is our home," said Wade, who is married with a 15-month-old son. "But the opportunity to better oneself professionally is exciting.
"It's very tough to leave here. That's been one of the hardest things when going through (job interviews) the past several years. It had to make sense. This one does, on a lot of levels."
Wade returned from his visit to the Stockton, Calif., campus on Thursday, feeling confident he would be offered the job. The feeling from those familiar with UOP's search was that Wade was the top choice heading into this week.
Wade met with UOP athletic director Lynn King at the women's volleyball final four last month in San Antonio. King also spoke with Wisconsin associate coach Rod Wilde and Notre Dame associate coach Robin Davis.
"Charlie was a standout from the start of our search process, and was impressive during his campus interview," King said in a press release last night. "He has a sincere appreciation for Pacific and our history."
Pacific won NCAA titles in 1985 and '86, and was Hawaii's biggest conference rival in the 1980s. The program has struggled since coach John Dunning left for Stanford in 2001 and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time ever this season after finishing 16-14 overall, 8-6 in the Big West.
"He'll certainly be missed," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said of Wade last night. "He's added a lot to the program, a lot of energy. This is a good deal for him.
"Hopefully, we can find someone who will bring just as much energy. No, I have nobody in mind."
Asked whether Wade would be a good candidate to replace him when he eventually retires, Shoji said, "If he does the job at UOP that I think he can do, yes, he'd be a good candidate."
Wade said he didn't feel it was necessary for him to have head-coaching experience in order to be considered a viable replacement for Shoji.
"This gives me an opportunity to demonstrate what I believe I'm capable of doing," Wade said, "not necessarily to come back here but to prove what I can do as a head coach.
"I feel very fortunate to be given this opportunity to run an elite program."
In Wade's 11 years, the Wahine have won the conference title every season, compiling a 160-1 regular-season league record and going 310-39 in postseason play. Hawaii has reached the final four four times during his tenure.