HONOLULU – When Hawai’i athletics director Craig Angelos was in talks with the Mountain West Conference in becoming a full-member instead of a football-only school, he made sure to get the input of all the head coaches of their respective sports that would be affected by the move.

A few of them were available for questions to the media following Angelos’ official press conference to announce the move Tuesday morning.

One of the biggest concerns was the travel. The Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine currently participate in the Big West, a conference that is entirely made up of California schools with the exception of Hawai’i.

In the age of conference realignment that has affected multiple leagues, including the Mountain West, Hawai’i will now have to travel to schools in Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas when it starts competing as a full-member on July 1, 2026.

“I think when Craig first mentioned going to the Mountain West, the first thing that crossed most of our minds as he discussed was the travel component,” said women’s soccer coach Bud Nagamine.

“I think the travel got a lot more challenging, but we’re used to doing hard things here.”

Men’s basketball coach Eran Ganot, who had stints with the program when the Rainbow Warriors competed in the Western Athletic Conference and had to travel as far as Louisiana Tech, is drawing on previous experience to handle the new travel challenges.

“I think the travel we’re looking forward,” said Ganot. “We know how to do it, we’re excited about it and again very excited about the rivalries that will be rekindled.”

There were also questions regarding scheduling. Outgoing softball coach Bob Coolen was concerned how it would affect his sport because some schools in the Mountain West don’t have softball so those games might need to be replaced by a preseason tournament.

Nagamine said scheduling got a little easier for her because a lot of the connections made playing in the Big West will want to come back to Hawai’i for non-conference play.

Overall, everyone was complimentary of the time in the Big West. Ganot said that they’ve been blessed to be part of the Big West and is also excited about the transition to the Mountain West over the next two years.

“Both comments can be true and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Ganot said.

The level of competition of the Mountain West isn’t the same across the board however.

In sports like soccer and basketball, it’s one of the stronger conferences.

“The Mountain West for women’s soccer is an excellent conference,” said Nagamine. “They have three teams right now that is in the top 75 for RPI so it will not be an easy task, but certainly the competition is great and we’re really excited about it.”

Some sports like softball and baseball however are not as strong. 

Coolen even referenced a conversation with Hawai’i baseball coach Rich Hill on how their squads should be able to win the Mountain West every year.

Recruiting was another topic that was brought up. Nagamine said she was worried at first, but has received at least six texts from recruits because Hawai’i will be playing teams closer to their home state.