|
 Over
the past 17 seasons, the Hawai`i men's basketball
program has flourished under the guidance of head
coach Riley Wallace. The Rainbow Warriors have
reached the postseason nine times in his 17 seasons,
including a current streak of four straight since
the 2000-01 season.
The `Bows have appeared in the NCAA Tournament three
times under Wallace and have been invited to the
National Invitation Tournament on six occasions.
Prior to Wallace's arrival, the program had just one
NCAA appearance and two trips to the NIT.
Last year, the team advanced to the NIT
quarterfinals, its farthest finish under Wallace
since the 1997-98 and 1989-90 squads accomplished
that same feat.
Over the last four seasons, the Rainbow Warriors
have been among the top teams in the Western
Athletic Conference. The 'Bows repeated as WAC
champions in 2001 and 2002. The 2002 squad was the
first in UH history to win both the regular season
and tournament titles in the same year.
The 'Bows' success over the years have garnered them
national attention and rewarded them with 27
national or regional television appearances in the
past four seasons. The team and its players have
been featured in numerous national publications
including, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and ESPN
The Magazine.
Despite UH's fifth place finish in the WAC standings
and quarterfinal exit in the league tournament in
2003-04, the 'Bows were still invited to the NIT for
the second straight season. In the first round,
Hawai`i pulled off the tournament's biggest upset,
an 85-74 victory at No. 25 Utah State, the program's
first-ever win over a ranked team on the road.
The team, which posted the third-highest win total
under Wallace (21), went on to defeat Nebraska at
home in the second round, before falling to
Michigan.
The winningest coach in the school's history,
Wallace has guided the program to nine of its 12
all-time postseason appearances. Since becoming the
program's 17th coach in 1987, Wallace is on the
verge of the 300-win mark. He has accumulated a
283-228 (.554) record at UH, while his 19-year
career mark is 298-255 (.539), two wins shy of
becoming the 50th active coach to reach that
plateau.
Of the program's 10 20-win seasons, Wallace has
coached five of them, including the two highest win
totals in school history (25 in 1989-90 and 27 in
2001-02).
Wallace has also turned the 'Bows into a feared
opponent during the WAC Tournament as UH has
appeared in five title games and owns 20 victories
since 1984. In addition, all three of UH's titles
occurred in its opponent's home state; 1994 in Salt
Lake City, Utah (Brigham Young), and 2001 and 2002
in Tulsa, Okla. (Tulsa).
Wallace's teams earned the reputation of winning
games during the season, but collapsing during
tournament time. That all changed in the 2000-01
season when the team, seeded fifth, defied all odds
and captured its first WAC Tournament title since
1994. The following season, the team put together
the best season in school history, winning a record
27 games and capturing both WAC championships.
Wallace has earned numerous awards, including WAC
Coach of the Year in 1989, '97 and 2002. In
addition, Wallace was named NABC District 13 Coach
of the Year in 2002, the first time he was
recognized nationally by his coaching peers.
A native of Illinois, Wallace entered the coaching
profession as an assistant to long-time UH head
coach Larry Little at Litchfield (Ill.) High School.
In addition to serving as a basketball assistant,
Wallace headed the track program for three years
(1964-67).
But the dream of becoming a head coach at a Division
I program lured Wallace back to his alma mater,
Centenary, in Shreveport, La., to begin his
college-coaching resume. After earning his master's
degree in education from Illinois, he coached at
Centenary for nine seasons under three different
head coaches. During his stay, Wallace recruited
former Boston Celtic center Robert Parish and helped
the team to a national ranking.
In 1976, Wallace assumed the dual role of athletics
director and head coach, but after two seasons, he
left to take the associate coaching position at
Hawai`i under Little. He stayed from 1978-84 before
taking a three-year leave to coach Seminole Junior
College. Wallace compiled a 68-36 record at
Seminole, including back-to-back 26-10 seasons.
In May 1987, Wallace returned to Hawai`i and
replaced Frank Arnold, who accumulated an 11-45 mark
in two seasons.
At Centenary, Wallace lettered in basketball for
three years (1960-63) and was named team captain in
his junior and senior seasons. He was selected the
Most Valuable Player in the Gulf South Classic in
1962 and still ranks among Centenary's all-time
leaders in scoring and rebounding.
Wallace was born on Oct. 25, 1941, in Alton, Ill. He
is a 1959 graduate of Jerseyville High School in
Illinois.
During the offseason, Wallace enjoys golfing and
spending time with his wife, Joan. They have two
children, Rob and Kim, and two grandchildren, Riley
Haynes and Robert Riley III. |
