NU assistant Roese accepts job at Hawaii
As was reported earlier this week, Nebraska assistant coach Walter Roese threw his name in the hat for an assistant coach opening at the University of Hawai'i.
On Thursday, it became pretty much official.
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After two seasons as an assistant at Nebraska, Roese will join the Hawai'i staff as the associate head coach for newly appointed UH head coach Gib Arnold, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
The move hasn't been made official, though, because there is still some paper work left to be completed, which has been slowed due to the Good Friday holiday. The Honolulu Advertiser reports that an official announcement is expected to come on Monday.
Arnold told the Advertiser that he would not comment on the situation until after it was officially announced.
With the move, Roese returns to where his college basketball career began, as he graduated from and played at BYU-Hawai'i and then took his first coaching job at his alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach.
Hawai'i will be his fourth coaching stop, as he also coached at BYU (2003-07) and San Diego (07-08) before coming to Nebraska.
With Roese's departure, the Huskers lose out on his significant international recruiting ties. He played a role in signing center Jorge Brian Diaz and was the key factor in recruiting 6-foot-10, 320-pound center Andre Almeida of Brazil for the 2010 class.
Roese, a native of Brazil, is currently in South America coaching the Brazilian National Team and could not be reached for comment.
He has also served as the head coach of the Brazilian Junior National Team in 2007, 2009 and again this year. When he joined the Huskers, he became the first Brazilian to earn a full-time Division I assistant coaching job.
Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler said he would not comment on the situation until the middle of next week.