Jesse Nakanishi Announced as Next HPU Men’s Basketball Head Coach on ‘Sharks Weekly’

Jesse Nakanishi Announced as Next HPU Men’s Basketball Head Coach on ‘Sharks Weekly’

Jesse Nakanishi Announced as Next HPU Men’s Basketball Head Coach on ‘Sharks Weekly’ 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MAY 24, 2023

HONOLULU — Jesse Nakanishi was officially named as the next head coach of the Hawai’i Pacific University men’s basketball program Wednesday morning, succeeding longtime coach Darren Vorderbruegge after his retirement in March of 2023.

Nakanishi joined ‘Sharks Weekly’ immediately following the announcement, talking about how thankful he was to the people who conducted the search process to allow him this opportunity and his gratitude toward Vorderbruegge for his assistance in pushing forward the former associate head coach to greater heights.

“It’s a little surreal,” Nakanishi said of his first head coaching job at the college level. “It’s been quite a journey, definitely something I’ve been working towards every step of the way, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

The Kamehameha-Kapālama alum returned to his high school following his graduation from Lewis & Clark and eventually took over the reins of his old program, leading the Warriors to the state tournament seven of the eight years he was the head coach. 

Nakanishi won two state titles in his final three seasons coaching at KS-Kapālama before moving to the college ranks as an assistant coach under Vorderbruegge in 2012.  

“We’re a product of the people we learn from and our experiences and I couldn’t be more thankful for [Coach Vorderbruegge],” the new head coach said of his predecessor. “Next to my parents, the main guy in my life that has just mentored me along the way. I just have to give him a shoutout, big shoes to fill for sure with what he’s done here… Helping guide me, professionally and personally, has meant the world to me.” 

The journey from 2012 has been a long one that has included stops at two other schools, but “Coach Nak” returned to the familiar HPU sidelines last season as an associate head coach, helping display his ability to the school long before the national search began. 

Though he didn’t officially have the job, Nakanishi was confident in his ability and resume while HPU conducted the search, allowing him to get a head start on recruiting. 

“I’ve never been done recruiting in May, but [assistant coach Cam Flabel] and I hit the ground hard and sold our vision to [recruits] and what we have planned, and they bought into it,” Nakanishi explained of the recruiting process. “I want to really thank Dr. Debbie Snell, and even the committee, but Dr. Snell let me continue on as the interim and be able to do all the recruiting with the job still looming.” 

“I believed in myself to get this [head coaching job] and that I would be the best candidate they would see,” he continued. “I told them how confident I was in it as well and they believed in me and I’m thankful for that.” 

The new staff at HPU, comprised of many familiar faces, certainly hit the ground running this offseason while recruiting in the transfer portal. Among the players brought in for HPU include: 

Matt van Komen — 7’4 Center, transferring in from St. Mary’s, 3 years of eligibility remaining 

Tyrease Terrell — 6’4 Guard, graduate transfer from Nicholls State, former team captain, 1 year of eligibility remaining 

Charlie Weber — 6’9 Forward, transferring in from ETSU, 2 years of eligibility remaining 

Nikola Milojevic — 6’6 Forward, from Belgrade, Serbia and played at San Jose City College last season, 2 years of eligibility remaining

Miles Lewis — 6’0 Guard, transferring in from Contra Costa College, 1st-Team All-Conference last season, 2 years of eligibility remaining 

Josh Niusulu — 6’5 Forward, transferring in from Ohlone College in CA, was 1st-Team All-Defense and All-Conference last season, 2 years of eligibility remaining 

With fresh faces mixing with old ones, HPU expects to enter the season much like the staff entered the recruiting part of the offseason: fast, furious and fun. 

“We’re in it to represent the university as well as we can on-and-off the court,” Nakanishi said smiling. “We’re going to be a fun brand to watch… I want HPU to be a known commodity, here in Hawai’i and nationally. We’re going to be fun to watch and [a program that] people are going to be proud of and want to be a part of.”

Gallery: UH-Hilo vs Hawai’i Pacific

Gallery: UH-Hilo vs Hawai’i Pacific

Photo Gallery: UH-Hilo vs. Hawai’i Pacific

PHOTOS BY KU’ULEI AGBAYANI | PUBLISHED MAY 1, 2023

The Hawaii Pacific University baseball team closed out their 2023 season with one more battle against in-state rival UH-Hilo at the Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park. 

Making sure all of their seniors got in the game, the Sharks (20-27, 14-17) and Vulcans (25-19, 13-16) fought until the very end with UH-Hilo taking home the win, 5-4.

Hawaii Pacific also celebrated 14 seniors: Cole Kashimoto, Douglas Zolezzi, Nicholas Jio, D.J. Stephens, Turner Jamieson, Markus Ramos, Jake De Fiore, Shane Adams, Edward Lee, Daniel Cortez, Andrew Hauck, Erik Peterson, Jonathan Lucio, and Richard Higa

Sharks Weekly Review: Women’s Tennis & Voice of HPU “Paco Loco” (4/26/23)

Sharks Weekly Review: Women’s Tennis & Voice of HPU “Paco Loco” (4/26/23)

Sharks Weekly Review: Women’s Tennis & Voice of HPU “Paco Loco” (4/26/23) 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED APR 26, 2023

HONOLULU — Following some technical difficulties, Sharks Weekly was able to record and catch up with HPU women’s tennis head coach Lauren Conching and senior Marleen Tilgner after their big-time Pac West Tournament wins out in Surprise, Arizona.

Conching and Tilgner discussed their mindset and helped preview their upcoming matches in the NCAA regional round and their desire to challenge for a national championship as a program that holds itself to a higher standard.

Following the opening segment where HPU women’s tennis was so gracious with their time, host Jeffrey Rich welcomed in the voice of HPU Athletics and a mainstay in the announcing scene on Oahu, “Paco Loco.” 

Rich and Paco discuss the legendary voice’s path to where he is now, including his humble beginnings at an HBCU in Pennsylvania, how he got into announcing in the first place and how a semi-random meeting of Joe Frazier helped him get his foot in the door of what he wanted to do the rest of his life.

The show gets a nice vintage “Paco Loco” read of the latest happenings in HPU athletics before continuing a conversation of Paco’s journey to becoming the Employee of the Year in his first year of work with his hometown Philadelphia Eagles, a job that started with him getting screen time on ESPN for his passion and energy when welcoming fans to games.

The show closes out with some NFL football talk ahead of the NFL draft on April 27, as Rich (Bills fan), Paco Loco (Eagles fan) and Paul Brecht (Jets fan) share some laughs and desires of what they want their team to do on Thursday’s event. 

You can catch Sharks Weekly every Wednesday at 9:00 AM HST on HSRN 95.1 FM | AM 760, at hawaiisportsradio.com or in our podcenter following the completion of the show. 

HPU Drops Sunday Rubber Match as Hawai’i-Hilo Bats Explode for 23 Hits

HPU Drops Sunday Rubber Match as Hawai’i-Hilo Bats Explode for 23 Hits

HPU Drops Sunday Rubber Match as Hawai’i-Hilo Bats Explode for 23 Hits

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MAR 27, 2023

WAIPAHU — When it rains, it pours, and when the Hawai’i-Hilo Vulcans offense got hot on Sunday, it stayed hot. 

The Hawai’i Pacific University baseball team dropped the final game of a 3-game series against cross-island rival Hilo on March 26, falling 13-8 to the Vulcans while giving up 23 hits in the process.

After splitting Saturday’s double header, the Sharks looked to build off the momentum of the previous evening’s 6-5 comeback victory that saw HPU hold the Vulcans offense scoreless for the final five innings of the game.

Hilo’s Ryan Cho started things off with a bang, literally.

The Vulcans first baseman kept a hot weekend at the plate going in the first inning, crushing a Ryan Schuelke offering way over the left field fence to score Mason Cook and give Hilo an early 2-0 lead. 

 

The Sharks looked to answer right back in the bottom half of the first, as the first three batters reached for HPU.

Hilo starter Eamon Velarde settled down though, getting Richard Higa to strike out swinging before Chase Taylor brought in Nicholas Jio with a sacrifice fly to right field. Velarde would then get Noah Hata to ground out to second to escape the jam with only one run of damage.

A two-out single by Hilo’s Cook got the run right back for the Vulcans in the top of the second as the catcher picked up his second single of the day. Cook, along with Cho, picked up five hits apiece in Sunday’s win.

Alec Yamauchi added another run to the Hilo lead with a home run to left field in the top of the third, and Cho laced a single up the middle in the fourth to bring Brayden Yoshida around to score and make it 5-1, Vulcans.

The Sharks cut it back to two, 5-3, following a Hilo error that allowed both Jio and center fielder D.J. Stephens to cross home in the bottom of the fourth. 

Just like the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Vulcans had an answer for every HPU comeback try.

Kein Iwata picked up his lone RBI of the day with a double in the fifth, then scored the very next batter as Yoshida singled to left. 

Once again, HPU tried to keep it close.

Taylor blasted a long home run to center field in the bottom half of the fifth after Higa led off the inning with a walk. The Sharks continued to threaten after Hata was hit by a pitch and swiped 2nd, but Travis Johnson tapped one back to the mound for the final out of the inning. 

The Vulcans got the runs right back once again, recording three straight hits to start the sixth inning and using a Chris Varljen sac fly to bring home Alec Yamauchi to make it 9-5 Hilo through five and a half innings of play.

A wacky bottom of the sixth saw the Sharks get four straight free passes and use a passed ball to make it 9-7 with runners on second and third and nobody out. 

Higa was caught too far from the bag on Chase Taylor’s lineout to right field, getting doubled up while TJ Smith tagged up to cut the Hilo lead to one. 

Once again, the Vulcans had an answer as Cook picked up another hit with an RBI single up the middle and Blake Tweedt helped him score with a single to right field, giving Hilo much needed breathing room. 

UH-H added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth, as the 22nd ranked Vulcans looked to close out the visit to O’ahu with a series victory over the Sharks. 

Jake Liberta came in to lock things down for the visitors in the 7th and finished his 2.1 innings strong, striking out the side in the ninth to pick up his eighth save of the season. 

Nick Agacki was credited with the win for Hilo and Schuelke took the loss for Hawai’i Pacific.

The Vulcans (17-7) were led by Cook and Cho, each going 5-6 and combining for 5 RBI in the victory, as Hilo heads to the mainland for a 12-game trip.

Taylor knocked in half of HPU’s runs, registering 4 RBI in Sunday’s loss. The Sharks (10-15) will also head to the mainland for a long road trip of their own, spanning 14 games and five different opponents. 

Two Games, Two Comebacks, Two Results: HPU Splits Saturday Twinbill Against Cross-Island Rival Hilo

Two Games, Two Comebacks, Two Results: HPU Splits Saturday Twinbill Against Cross-Island Rival Hilo

Two Games, Two Comebacks, Two Results: HPU Splits Saturday Twinbill Against Cross-Island Rival Hilo 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED MAR 26, 2023

WAIPAHU — A beautiful start to the weekend saw a pair of exciting rivalry games go down to the wire on Saturday. Hawai’i Pacific University (10-14) split the March 25 doubleheader against cross-island rival Hawai’i Hilo (16-7), falling in the first game of the day, 14-12, before avenging the loss in game two and finishing a five-run rally to beat the Vulcans, 6-5 in 7 innings. 
Game One: Sharks Comeback Comes Up Short The nationally-ranked Vulcans, who took a fall in the Week 6 national rankings from a top-15 spot down to 22nd, jumped on HPU starter Jack O’Brien with two outs in the first inning. A Ryan Cho double to left followed by an Alec Yamauchi RBI single gave Hilo an early 1-0 lead. HPU would answer back an inning later, as Frankie Peralez went the other way with runners on the corners and two out to tie the game at one. Hilo’s bats erupted in the middle innings, starting with a Casey Yamauchi grand slam with none out in the top of the fourth. A Blake Tweedt home run capped a 7-run top of the fourth inning for the Vulcans. The hits kept rolling in the fifth inning, as the visitors poured on four more runs to open up a 12-1 lead at the game’s midway point. 
The Sharks would fight back, scratching one more run off Hilo starter Christian DeJesus in the fifth to cut it to 12-2. The Vulcans went to the bullpen to start the sixth, and the HPU hitters capitalized on the pitching change in a big way. Hawai’i Pacific needed an inning to adjust to new Vulcans pitcher James Yamasaki, but used a six-run seventh inning powered by a Nicholas Jim 2-run home run to cut Hawai’i Hilo’s lead,12-8.
The visitors answered back in the top half of the next inning, putting up a pair of insurance runs to push the lead back up to six runs, 14-8. HPU would not go quietly though, as the first pair of Sharks batters reached and then Richard Higa took Orlando Leon Jr. deep for a 3-run home run to slice it to 14-11 in the bottom of the ninth with nobody out.  A TJ Smith double into the gap brought the tying run to the plate for the Sharks with two outs to work with, but the miraculous comeback was not in the cards for the home team as Christian Wood retired the last two HPU batters to record the save for the Vulcans and take game one.
Jack O’Brien was charged with the loss for the Sharks, dropping his record to 2-4 on the season. The righty finished the day with 3.1 IP, giving up eight earned runs on 10 hits, walking one and recording one strikeout. The Sharks used eight different hurlers in the first of the two games, while Hilo used five throwers. Christian DeJesus earned the win for the Vulcans, going five innings strong and giving up two runs on seven hits, walking two Sharks and recording one strikeout. It was DeJesus’s third win of the season and Christian Wood’s first save of the year for the Vulcans. Game Two: Sharks Complete Comeback to Stun Vulcans 
Despite the break between games, Hilo’s bats stayed hot. Just like the first game of the day, the visitors jumped on HPU’s starter. This time, it was left-handler Andrew Hauck giving up a pair of opening frame runs before the Sharks even came to bat.  The Vulcans kept the good times rolling in the second inning, piling on three more runs to take a 5-0 lead just nine total outs into the game.
Just as in the day’s first game though, Hawai’i Pacific would not go down without a fight and this time buckled down defensively as well. DJ Stephens helped get the Sharks on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, dropping a single into right field to score Richard Higa and cut the deficit to four runs. HPU continued to chip away in the fourth, pushing three more runs across the plate with back-to-back singles from Jio and Kota Suzuki with the bases loaded. In a 7-inning second game of a double header, it was important for the Sharks to get closer quickly. 
After a shaky first two innings from Hauck, the southpaw settled in to throw three straight scoreless innings and keep the Sharks in the game while the offense worked. Hauck ended his day with 5.0 IP, allowing five runs against him in the first two frames and giving up seven hits. The lefty also walked a pair of batters to go along with seven punchouts. While he left without a chance to record a win for his own record, he had helped the Sharks stay in position to steal a win for theirs from the Vulcans.
Right-hander Mac Leisher gave up a hit in his one inning of work, the sixth, but held Hilo off the board once again. HPU completed the comeback in the bottom half of the frame, using a one-out Noah Hata pinch-hit single to score Stephens from second base and tie the game at five apiece. Hata took second following a Ty Honda wild pitch, then advanced to third on a sacrifice fly down the left field line by Jio. Leon Jr. was brought in to try and escape the jam for the Vulcans, but Suzuki laced a single right back at Leon Jr., hitting off the righty’s glove and into no-man’s land to score Hata and give the Sharks their first lead of the night. 
HPU’s stud closer Ryan Inouye entered in the top of the seventh, looking to finish off the cross-island rival and earn a split. The hard thrower struck out the first two Vulcan batters, hitting over 90 miles per hour a few times on his fastball. He induced an Alec Yamauchi pop-up to right for the final out of the night.  Inouye earned the win for his performance, striking out two in his one inning of work in the Sharks’ 6-5 win.
The two squads go at it again on Sunday, March 26 at CORP 4 Field in Waipahu, with the first pitch slated to be around noon HST. 
Gallery: Hawai’i Pacific vs. Concordia Irvine

Gallery: Hawai’i Pacific vs. Concordia Irvine

Photo Gallery: Hawai’i Pacific vs Concordia Irvine

MAR 4, 2023

GAME 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Concordia 2 0 0 3 0 3 8 11 0
HPU Sharks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
GAME 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Concordia 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 0
HPU Sharks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0

Gallery: UH-Hilo vs Hawai’i Pacific

Photo Gallery: UH-Hilo vs. Hawai'i Pacific PHOTOS BY KU'ULEI AGBAYANI | PUBLISHED MAY 1, 2023The Hawaii Pacific University baseball team closed out their 2023 season with one more battle against in-state rival UH-Hilo at the Patsy Mink Central...

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Gallery: Hawai’i Pacific vs. Concordia Irvine

Photo Gallery: Hawai'i Pacific vs Concordia IrvineMAR 4, 2023 GAME 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E Concordia 2 0 0 3 0 3 8 11 0 HPU Sharks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 GAME 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Concordia 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 0 HPU Sharks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 [adrotate...

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