StarBulletin.com

Coolen kept talking, but was listening, too


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POSTED: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

You'll never guess.

Can you name the head coach with the third-longest tenure at the University of Hawaii?

No, it's not Dave Shoji (women's volleyball) or Andy Johnson (sailing), because they're Nos. 1 and 2.

No. 3 never expected to be here even five years, and it's been 20 since he arrived in Hawaii. He is Bob Coolen, who starts his 19th season as the Rainbow Wahine softball head coach tomorrow when UH hosts McNeese State in the Paradise Softball Classic nightcap. Stanford and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi face off in the opener.

His Hawaii teams have won 667 games and made eight NCAA tournament appearances. In 2007, the Wahine won 50 games and made a run at the College World Series behind pitching and hitting star Kate Robinson. Unlike other programs at Manoa, softball has continued on as a consistent winner after hitting a peak. The Wahine hope to improve on last year's 30-24 mark and contend for a third WAC title under Coolen.

“;It's not always been smooth,”; Coolen said one day this week after groundskeeping duties and before practice. “;It took me some time to understand the culture.”;

First lesson: Outsiders took the land, but locals still rule the waves.

Coolen, from Brockton, Mass., got his first tip on his first day in the islands after accepting an offer to be assistant to his predecessor, Rayla Allison, in 1990.

“;I was jet-lagged, boogie boarding in 10- to 12-feet waves,”; the former lifeguard recalled. “;But I was told in no uncertain terms that I was in a surfing area. So I moved.”;

Second lesson: food.

“;I learned what oxtail soup is. I ate things I never heard of,”; Coolen said. “;My dad was in the Navy, so we ate Spam. But we ate it out of a can, never in a restaurant before.”;

Third lesson: footwear.

Any coach recruiting Hawaii must remember to remove shoes before entering a home. Coolen also does it when recruiting away from the islands.

“;They ask me what I'm doing, and I explain it to them, that it is part of our culture in Hawaii”; he said. “;Then I can tell them more, like how in Hawaii everyone will be their auntie or uncle.”;

Despite his best attempts at assimilation, Coolen was criticized for being too brash by some folks in island fastpitch circles (usually the fathers or coaches of unrecruited players). Although his rosters and starting lineups always featured plenty of Hawaii players, his commitment to Hawaii players was questioned.

But while he never stopped talking, Coolen also never stopped listening ... and learning.

He surrounded himself with coaches who have shown him the islands' unique ways. John Nakamura, Dee Wisneski, Dickie Titcomb, Kaulana Gould Williams—all have deep roots in the island fastpitch scene.

Coolen has grown some of his own. He pitches for a team of local guys who are his friends not because of his job, but because of who he is and has become (and the fact that he can still mow 'em down helps).

They raised $1,000 when UH's batting cage was vandalized recently.

It was for the players. But it was also for Bob Coolen, the former outsider.