Was it the Year of the Unicorn?

Was it the Year of the Unicorn?

In 344 days as the University of Hawaii’s athletic director, Matt Elliott has hired three coaches and extended the contracts of three others, filled key administrative positions, addressed the name-image-likeness landscape, secured a new television contract, oversaw overall team success and paved the way for the school’s move to nearly full Mountain West membership next month.

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But in these austere times, the “Unicorn” — as heralded by community and business leader Micah Kane — continues to face the challenges of dealing with college sports’ evolving landscape and balancing a 21-sport budget that keeps adding player-driven expenses. And then there are the tsk-tsk Wolves of Beretania Street who critically monitor every UH move.

Here’s a look at Elliott’s tenure:

Team performances

Last month, the men’s volleyball team won its third national championship in six seasons. The men’s basketball team won the Big West Tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. The football team went 9-4 and defeated California in the nationally televised Hawaii Bowl. The Rainbow Wahine basketball team won 16 of 17 to reach the final of the Big West Tournament. The water polo team won its third consecutive league title.

The players and coaches deserve credit for their programs’ success, of course. But Elliott had a supportive role. He authorized the addition of a two-match men’s volleyball series against BYU after an NIL tournament was canceled. By mutual agreement, Elliott and Spectrum Sports dropped the pay-per-view format for locally produced telecasts of UH football, making the games available through basic cable subscriptions. Elliott also continued to provide charter flights for the football Warriors. While UH continued to contribute the financial equivalent of 11.7 scholarships for baseball, the ’Bows were allowed to add to the pool with any money they raised.

Transactions

Coaches Timmy Chang (football), Eran Ganot (men’s volleyball) and Rich Hill (baseball) entered the 2025-26 academic year under expiring contracts.

Chang officially had two seasons remaining. On Dec. 4, 2024, interim athletic director Lois Manin gave Chang a one-year extension that would keep him under contract through the 2026 season. Eyeing the future, a football program would be at a competitive disadvantage for a head coach to enter a lame-duck season. Although not finalized, Elliott and Chang have reached agreement on a multi-year contract.

Ganot and Hill entered 2025-26 on the final year of contracts. Just ahead of the 2026 baseball season, Hill signed a contract that runs through the 2029 season. The baseball ’Bows achieved winning Big West records in Hill’s five UH seasons. This past April, Ganot reached agreement in principle on what is believed to be at least a three-year contract.

Since his official start date on July 1, 2025, Elliott hired three coaches of women’s programs — beach volleyball’s Danny Alvarez, volleyball’s Joshua Walker and basketball’s Khalilah Mitchell. Walker replaced Robyn Ah Mow, who resigned for family reasons. Mitchell succeeds Laura Beeman, who retired from coaching. Beeman is now UH’s associate athletic director for student-athlete success.

A semester after assistant athletic director Teri Chang retired, Elliott hired Corbin Ross as assistant AD of facilities. Cindy Uyehara rejoined as lead human resource specialist. And Jim Stein was named as assistant AD of strategic partnerships and NILs. Stein, who had left UH in the fall, essentially became his own replacement.

Elliott still is seeking replacements for Andy Johnson, who is retiring after 36 years as sailing coach, and Vince Baldemor, who resigned as associate athletic director in January to join Boyd Gaming as vice president of development. UH also needs to fully replace Glenn Nakaya, who retired last year as manager of Les Murakami Stadium. Makai Campus coordinator Kelly Ong and complex manager Devin Donahue have been managing Murakami Stadium and the Ching complex, but Donahue is a “casual” hire, meaning he gets fired every three months and then rehired the day after for the next work cycle. It’s a position that comes with great responsibilities, but no benefits.

Television
contract

For 25 years through 2002, telecasts for locally produced UH football games were shown delayed on Oahu and live on the other islands. In July 2002, UH and KFVE reached agreement on a three-year contract that would televise live Warrior football games statewide on a pay-per-view basis. Oceanic Cablevision would provide the PPV feed. PPV was only for football, not telecasts of other UH sports. The initial subscription fee was $12.95 per game for Oahu viewers and $5 per game for neighbor island viewers. In turn, UH received $700,000 in rights fee, as well as the 70% of the first $1 million in PPV sales.

Starting with the 2011 football season, Oceanic Time Warner Cable took over sole production of UH sportscasts, including pay-per-view for football. That ended UH’s 28-year association with KFVE, which was promoted as the “Home Team.” In 2017, Oceanic was re-branded as Spectrum Sports.

Under terms of the recently completed contract, Spectrum paid UH about $3.1 million annually in rights fees through the 2024-25 academic year. Because UH was a football-only member of the Mountain West, the school was allowed to keep the Spectrum fees but not share in the the league’s national TV revenue. In turn, the Mountain West tried to assure that Spectrum would have at least seven PPV games per season.

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This past football season, UH dropped the PPV format, opening the way for Spectrum and Hawaiian Telcom subscribers to watch live telecasts without paying additional charges. The move provided more access for Warrior fans but also reduced the rights revenue for the final year of the contract.

On July 1, 15 UH teams that mostly compete in the Big West will join the football Warriors as Mountain West members. As part of the move, the Mountain West is requiring that telecasts of UH’s revenue sports — football, basketball, women’s volleyball, soccer, baseball and softball — will be available to a national audience.

Last week, Hawaii News Now was awarded a four-year contract to produce UH telecasts. HNN, which has three broadcast outlets (notably K5), pledged a 110-event schedule for this coming academic year. The locally produced events will air live. There is no pay-per-view element. The contract assures simultaneous telecasts for events in the same time slot. The UH telecasts also will be available on the Mountain West app for a nominal fee.

As part of the arrangement, UH will receive a full share of the Mountain West’s television revenue. Instead of a cash transaction, according to UH, HNN is providing $7.5 million annually in production, initiatives that support NIL deals for student-athletes, setting up school-produced telecasts and creating the Warrior Fast Channel that will provide year-long programming. HNN also is expected to produce a coach’s show for football.

UH is betting that providing more viewership opportunities will grow the program while not greatly impacting attendance. And while award-winning play-by-play announcer Kanoa Leahey is expected to make the move to HNN’s telecasts, there are no guarantees for Spectrum’s heralded analysts, directors or producers.

NIL

It wasn’t too long ago when NCAA players were limited in movement and compensation. Now players can transfer freely without sitting out. Indiana won a national football championship with a roster largely stocked with players who began their careers at other schools. Easing the transfer process is the lure of compensation that players can receive for use of their name, image and likeness.

The House vs. NCAA settlement requires schools to retroactively compensate former players, as well as invite them to join a program to directly pay student-athletes up to $20.5 million annually. While Ivy League schools are opposed to paying current players, they still are on the hook on the retroactive compensation. And good luck to schools trying to compete without participating in programs to compensate current players. In the newly formatted Mountain West, it is two unlikely schools — Grand Canyon and New Mexico — that have the largest bankrolls for payrolls.

UH has formed links with collectives to raise NIL money. There have been dinners and golf tournaments to increase the pot. Through associate head football coach Chris Brown, UH has tapped the unions — the same groups that support politicians — for support.

UH struck out on a request for $5 million from lawmakers to boost the compensation pool. A Senate committee countered with the creation of an endowment — a measure that eventually could disperse a fraction of what is currently requested. That readjusted proposal eventually went kaput, by a narrow Senate vote.

But there are murmurs that UH is still pursuing community help to cover payouts.

Contacts

As expected, Elliott has been transparent in his processes. He also has tried to build and maintain relationships within the community and the athletic department. By all accounts, Brown and Beeman have been trusted advisers. Both have delivered testimony at public hearings.

Lawmakers and Elliott also have developed a symbiotic association. Whatever the differences, UH needs legislative money; lawmakers need a forum. Policies can’t be expressed without an audience, and sports provides an outlet. You can’t discuss homelessness and gas prices without debating NIL funding or attending an NBA Finals game.

For the most part, athletic department workers have noted that morale has improved since Elliott became the athletic director.

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