Ruiz rises to associate head coach role ahead of second season at Hawai’i Pacific

HONOLULU – Success always brings swings of change.

Following the program’s third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025-26, the Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball program saw a plethora of changes throughout the offseason.

The Sharks graduated six players from last year’s squad and watched 2nd-team All-PacWest selection Quentin Meza hit the portal, sending fourth-year head coach Jesse Nakanishi and his staff back to the drawing board to try to build out another winning unit.

If losing five of the team’s top seven scorers wasn’t enough to handle, HPU also saw the coaching staff scoured through by the Division I ranks as associate head coach Cam Flabel received interest from multiple west coast programs before returning to the Big Sky and his alma mater as an assistant coach at Idaho State.

After Flabel’s departure on May 18, Nakanishi and the Sharks conducted a search to solve the offseason’s biggest remaining question mark. For the second straight hiring cycle, HPU landed on an in-house answer as assistant coach Kyle Ruiz was officially elevated to the associate HC role on Thursday, June 18.

“I just really value Kyle,” Nakanishi said of the decision to promote the 28-year-old to the No. 2 chair. “He’s been a tireless worker … He puts in [so many hours], the guys like him, and his work speaks for itself.”

The familiarity with Nakanishi from last year pushed Ruiz ahead as well, giving the fourth-year head coach a sounding board that knew the program already as his right-hand man rather than an unknown candidate from outside the Sharks’ ecosystem.

“You never know, bringing in someone new, what you could get,” Nakanishi continued when talking about elevating Ruiz. “I know the work ethic I’m getting. The dedication, the passion and just the want to grow in this profession that he has … I’m excited about him.”

Ruiz joined HPU ahead of the 2025-26 season after spending two years as a graduate assistant with Western Oregon. He began his coaching career at Grossmont Community College as an assistant with focuses on game preparation and player development in 2022-23.

In his first year with the Sharks, he assisted with player evaluations and scouting while leading strength and conditioning training along with his other day-to-day duties. As the season progressed, Ruiz’s responsibilities grew, and he developed as a coach.

“I’m extremely thankful for Coach Nakanishi’s belief in me,” Ruiz said after the promotion. “It was a huge blessing to work with great people and great coaches like [Nakanishi and Cam Flabel]. They both played huge roles in my own development, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to get back to work with our group this year!”

In the second chair for the Sharks, Ruiz will serve as recruiting coordinator, oversee pieces of scheduling, engage in sponsor/donor relations and continue the program’s community outreach programs. He will also remain as the strength and conditioning coach while assisting in scouting and game preparation.

Ruiz’s promotion nearly wraps up the offseason for the Sharks, who added six players via transfer along with a high school standout after seeing more than a handful of departures from last year’s roster.