No trick: It's Rupp
Happy Halloween all. About to head out to cover UH basketball practice, where Kerry Rupp will be helping out for the first time. It might take a little while to get used to the sight of him in Hawaii for anything other than a road trip with Louisiana Tech.
Rupp, formerly the LaTech head coach for four years through last season, was officially announced today as the new director of basketball operations by UH and coach Gib Arnold.
“We are very fortunate to have Kerry join our staff,” Arnold said in a statement. “I’ve known Kerry for years and he’s not only a great coach but also a great person. He’s known for being an extremely hard worker and I know he’ll spend countless of hours helping with all aspects of our program. This is a great get for UH basketball and I couldn’t be more happy to work with someone of Kerry’s caliber.”
Said Rupp: “It’s an incredible honor to be here at the University of Hawaii. I’m thankful to Coach Arnold for giving me this unique opportunity. I can’t tell you how excited it is to be associated with such an up-and-coming program like Hawaii with its combination of great players and staff.”
It will be interesting to see what kind of say he’ll have in practices, or if he’ll focus on being a behind-the-scenes guy. I have a feeling he’ll have a voice — perhaps even a loud one.
I understand the Director of Operations on a full staff aren’t allowed to go out and recruit of some sorts as you can have only so many recruiters at any given time. Are there any other rules what a DoO can’t do as to working with the team?
oh btw, bb season is here and I’m looking forward to it this year because of Gib’s players/personel. I appreciate whatever you could let us in on!
The DOBO, as it’s usually called, is generally restricted to the sidelines during practices. They aren’t supposed to directly lead the team or position groups at any time, i.e., coaching. But just having Rupp’s knowledge around should only help this staff. And yes, generally they aren’t allowed to recruit.