LAS VEGAS >> In the wake of a messy separation with Hawaii women's basketball coach Jim Bolla in the spring of 2009, UH athletic director Jim Donovan placed an emphasis on off-the-court appeal in his first major hire.
He got that in the immediate sense with Dana Takahara-Dias, but not the eventual on-court results he hoped would come with it.
Immediately after a season that featured both encouraging benchmarks and head-scratching low points, Takahara-Dias was dismissed as head coach of the Rainbow Wahine on Wednesday.
Donovan notified her soon after sixth seeded UH lost to third-seeded Louisiana Tech, 63-54, in the WAC tournament quarterfinals.
Donovan lauded her for her high character and leadership, which included consistent community service projects by the Rainbow Wahine. But ultimately, he said he could not ignore a second straight 11-19 season, another losing WAC record (6-8, good for a fifth-place tie) and UH's habitual first-round exit in the tournament.
"Dana is a great person. As an individual, I couldn't ask for a better person," Donovan said. "She's done everything I expected off the court. It's just the on-the-court performance wasn't there."
Takahara-Dias went 32-58 in her first tenure as a Division I coach, including 15-31 in WAC play. Her original three-year contract was allowed to expire.
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