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UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

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  • UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

    I was talking to my nephew who's attending UH, and he was talking about how budget cuts were making an impact throughout the campus. Then he mentioned to me that the athletic dept. may be looking to cut its budget by dropping a team. And in order for the university to stay in Title IX compliance, if a team is dropped, it would almost certainly be a men's team.

    So we started talking about which men's sport would be the most likely candidate to be dropped, if it came to that.

    These are the men's sports that UH currently has:

    Football
    Basketball
    Baseball
    Volleyball
    Golf
    Tennis
    Swimming & Diving

    Now, we all know that football and basketball ain't goin' nowhere.

    It is natural to immediately start thinking about cutting one of the non-revenue sports like golf, tennis, swimming and diving. After all, those teams only eat money and do not provide revenue. But,.....

    We started talking about men's v-ball and how it might soon be an endangered sport. Keep in mind that while volleyball has been a bigtime sport in the isles, there are only about 20 or so schools that sponsor a men's Division 1 team. Since athletic budget cuts are sweeping across the nation, it wouldn't be inconceivable for some of these other schools to put their men's v-ball teams on the chopping block. If too few v-ball teams remain, the NCAA may decide to no longer sanction the sport and a championship, which would relegate college men's v-ball to a club sport.

    Add to this, the fact that the NCAA requires all Division 1 schools to sponsor a minimum of 6 men's sports. UH currently has 7 men's sports. So if Hawaii drops one of the non-revenue teams and the NCAA eventually decides to phase out men's v-ball, the university would have to hastily start up another program.

    True, the future of men's v-ball as an NCAA sport is speculation. But what is clear is that no one realistically projects any kind of growth in that sport over the long haul. At best, the prospects are for men's v-ball to barely eke out an existence rather than thrive.

    The last few seasons have been tough on the Men of War, who are probably going to finish with their third straight losing season. And in contrast to the baseball team, which has been enjoying a resurgence in fan interest lately, the v-ball team has seen attendance shrink down to the low 2000s. Quite a slide compared to the high-energy crowds during the 1990s heyday, when Yuval Katz, Jason Ring, and Aaron Wilton were the darlings. As recently as 2002, dropping volleyball would have seemingly been unthinkable as the Warriors won (and later forfeited) the school's only national title in a men's sport.

    What does everyone else think?
    This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

  • #2
    Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

    Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
    As recently as 2002, dropping volleyball would have seemingly been unthinkable as the Warriors won (and later forfeited) the school's only national title in a men's sport.
    My interest for the UH men's volleyball team started falling after the NCAA took the title away. It took the wind out of its sails. The infraction is what college basketball does with amateurs playing against the pros.
    The person who reported the infraction only hurt the sport of college men's volleyball. Now, it will probably cost jobs too.

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    • #3
      Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

      If UH men's volleyball head coach Mike Wilton is leaving to become an assistant BYU women's volleyball coach. I think college men's volleyball might be a budget cut sport for the NCAA.

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      • #4
        Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

        Originally posted by Walkoff Balk View Post
        If UH men's volleyball head coach Mike Wilton is leaving to become an assistant BYU women's volleyball coach. I think college men's volleyball might be a budget cut sport for the NCAA.
        At first, I thought so too. But then, AD Jim Donovan is talking about finding replacements, so I don't think UH has any immediate plans to drop men's v-ball. As far as how much longer the NCAA will continue to sanction the sport,.... that's another question entirely.

        I know that for Wilton, coaching at BYU (even as an asst.) has always been something of a dream job for him. The fact that BYU has a v-ball coaching vacancy at the same time that Wilton has reached the end of his UH contract makes this an ideal time for him to make the move. Although the last few years have been a struggle for the program (both competitively and at the turnstiles), I don't think anyone will argue that Wilton's 17 year tenure has largely been a success. Whoever is his predecessor will have a tough act to follow.
        This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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        • #5
          Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

          Coach Wilton did a remarkable job during his 17 years with the men`s volleyball program. The 2002 title was a big blow for the 50th State.
          Good Luck Coach Wilton and Congratulations on a job well done.
          bin dea-dunn dat.

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          • #6
            Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

            Just when I thought I had an ainokea attitude about the UH men's volleyball team. They had a chicken skin senior goodbye and a farewell thank you to coach Wilton. So, I say to keep the UH men's volleyball program going as a tradition like no other.

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            • #7
              Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

              Originally posted by Walkoff Balk View Post
              Just when I thought I had an ainokea attitude about the UH men's volleyball team. They had a chicken skin senior goodbye and a farewell thank you to coach Wilton. So, I say to keep the UH men's volleyball program going as a tradition like no other.
              It was great that the Warriors were able to send out Mike Wilton and the 3 departing seniors with a win against a good USC team. It's just too bad that on Coach Wilton's farewell night, attendance was still disappointing, with an announced turnstile count of 2,315.

              Now the question turns to who will be the new head coach? If the decision is left up to Wilton, it would be his longtime assistant, Tino Reyes. But you can be sure that there will be many other applicants. Wouldn't it be neat if Aaron Wilton succeeded his father?
              This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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              • #8
                Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

                Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
                It was great that the Warriors were able to send out Mike Wilton and the 3 departing seniors with a win against a good USC team. It's just too bad that on Coach Wilton's farewell night, attendance was still disappointing, with an announced turnstile count of 2,315.

                Now the question turns to who will be the new head coach? If the decision is left up to Wilton, it would be his longtime assistant, Tino Reyes. But you can be sure that there will be many other applicants. Wouldn't it be neat if Aaron Wilton succeeded his father?
                Unless Aaron wants to follow his father and there is a vacant staff position for him.
                Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

                Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

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                • #9
                  Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

                  Originally posted by Random View Post
                  Unless Aaron wants to follow his father and there is a vacant staff position for him.
                  I suppose that's possible. But Aaron's already had the experience of serving as an assistant under his dad for several years at UH, and he made the decision to quit that job so that he could pursue a masters degree. It's no secret that Aaron wants to be a head coach one day, and a graduate degree is a requirement at many colleges.

                  If Aaron's only ambition was to coach with his father, why would he have left UH in the first place?
                  This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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                  • #10
                    Re: UH's men's v-ball team in trouble?

                    Was Charlie Wade the right choice to be the UH men's volleyball coach? The team just needs a dominant spiker from Europe.

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