Glory days at UH-Hilo a goal for Guillen

Whenever the University of Hawaii at Hilo announces Patrick Guillen as the next athletic director, the school is getting someone enthusiastic and team-oriented.

Officially, Guillen, the former Cal State Dominguez Hills AD, was recommended for the UHH job on Tuesday by school chancellor Donald Straney.

However, the recommendation is expected to be rubber-stamped by UH-Manoa president David Lassner after the Board of Regents meeting on Aug. 21.

“I’m hoping to bring back the glory days of Vulcan athletics,” Guillen said. “I’m excited, humbled and honored for the opportunity. I’ve been in the business 22 years and know Vulcan athletics has a rich, athletic tradition.

“I want to work hand in hand with coaches, staff and Hilo community to get the program back to national prominence.”

It’s been nearly two years since UHH last had a full-time AD. Dexter Irvin stepped down on Dec. 31, 2013.

It took 18 months for the school to whittle a field of candidates to Guillen and Josh Doody, the Notre Dame de Namur AD, who finished second for the UHH job again.

In a news release, UHH chancellor Donald Straney touted Guillen’s background, regarding those issues.

“Patrick brings a tremendous set of skills and leadership experience to the UH-Hilo athletic program,” Straney said. “He has a strong background in fostering excellence in student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom. He also has years of experience in effective fundraising and communication campaigns. He’s the right person at the right time to lead our Vulcan program forward.”

On the fundraising part, Guillen noted that a million bucks won’t drop from the sky, and that his first task is to meet-and-greet.

“I want to build relationships on campus and in the department, and I need to immerse myself in the community,” he said. “Community involvement is my top priority. I’m going to start that from day one. That’s a big thing.”

There has been something of a disconnect between UHH and the community. The Vulcans Hawaii Basketball School was dropped a few years ago and UHH is still not organized with its teams’ home fields. Last year, interim AD Tim Moore had basketball games played at Hilo Civic and UHH Gym.

The baseball team plays at Wong Stadium while the soccer teams play their games at the baseball field.

“Ideally, I believe the basketball camp should be school sponsored. For baseball, there are nature elements there and issues that need to be addressed,” Guillen said. “I’d prefer to have the (baseball) games on campus. It is a beautiful stadium. But there are parking issues.

“I will make an informed decision once I’ve consulted all the people involved.”

Guillen is also aware of the losing that has occurred at UHH, in particular the baseball program’s 23-year losing streak. Also the UHH men’s basketball team hasn’t had a winning season since 2010-11 with a 16-11 record, under former coach Jeff Law, as attendance has dwindled.

“That’s my biggest job. I want my coaches to have the necessary staff and resources to be successful,” Guillen said. “I want to make sure they have the proper resources to be successful. Then my time will be for evaluation once that’s there.

“But other areas like academics, retention, community service don’t need financial resources to be successful. I’m expecting high grades in that regard.”

The bottom line is that UHH, with 12 sports on the NCAA Division II level, is the lowest funded in the Pacific West Conference, where most are private schools.

Straney did not promise to send more state money from the Legislature to the athletic department for scholarship help.

Guillen, at least, got the next best thing.

“He told me he was bringing me in to be successful, and not bringing me in to fail,” Guillen said. “He’s backed up those words with his commitment to the program.

“He told me I was the right person for the job, and felt I was the most qualified. The most important thing is he thought I was a very good fit. That made me feel very good.”