Monday, June 03, 2019

Bob Nash selected for Circle of Honor

A “Fabulous” member of the basketball program, a decorated diver, a trail-blazing administrator and a generous supporter have joined the University of Hawaii’s sports elite.

Bob Nash, Emma Friesen, Hugh Yoshida and Carolyn A. Berry Wilson have been selected to UH’s Circle of Honor. They will be feted in a banquet in September.

Nash was affiliated with the UH basketball program for more than three decades, first as a power forward on the “Fabulous Five” teams and then as an assistant coach, associate head coach and head coach.

“I’m honored the (selection) committee saw fit to honor me with this award,” Nash said. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about a group effort. You never do anything alone. You always have people who push you to the top, and I appreciate the people who pushed me to this level.”

Nash was a highly sought junior college player who appeared set to join Kansas. But he did not feel the same connection with the Kansas staff as he did with Red Rocha, who was UH’s coach at the time. Rocha showed Nash an 8mm film of the Rainbows, then pitched a vision of a team that was a few players away from success. “He was very honest, and that’s what I was looking for,” Nash recalled.

Nash, John Penebacker, Dwight Holiday, Jerome Freeman and Al Davis became the Fabulous Five, winning 47 of 55 games during the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons. The Rainbows qualified for the 25-team NCAA in 1971 and the NIT in 1972. In the 1971 Rainbow Classic, Nash grabbed a school-record 30 rebounds against Arizona State. In the 1972 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons picked Nash ninth overall — a spot ahead of Paul Westphal and three in front of Julius “Dr. J” Erving.

After his pro career, Nash returned to Honolulu, where he worked for an insurance company. At the suggestion of Riley Wallace, who was an associate head coach at the time, Nash returned to UH as an assistant while completing student-teaching work. In 1984, Nash earned his bachelor’s degree in education, and then was promoted to full-time assistant coach. Nash worked under head coaches Larry Little, Frank Arnold and then Wallace before being hired for the head job in 2007. After three seasons as UH’s head coach, he coached seven years in Japan.

Nash, who is in negotiations to coach with Japanese teams, often spends time in San Diego to be with his children, Bobby and Erika, and grandchildren. “Hawaii is home,” Nash said.

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