University of Hawaii at Manoa Men's Basketball

In April 2015, Eran Ganot took over a program mired in NCAA limbo. In the 11 years since, he has lifted the University of Hawai‘i basketball program to unprecedented heights. No coach got off to a better start then Ganot who ranks second all-time at UH in wins (195). In the process, he’s built a culture of accountability and character that has bred excellence not just on the court, but also in the classroom and out in the community.                            Overall              Conf. Year Win Loss Win Loss 2015-16 28 6 13 3 2016-17 14 16 8 8 2017-18 17 13 8 8 2018-19 18 13 9 7 2019-20*^ 17 13 8 8 2020-21 11 10 9 9 2021-22 17 11 10 5 2022-23 22 11 13 7 2023-24 20 14 11 9 2024-25 15 16 7 13 2025-26 24 9 14 6 TOTAL 195 127 110 83 .606 .570 *13-game leave ^COVID-19   CAREER RECORD Overall: 197-129* (11+ years) At Hawaii: 195-127 (11 years) includes five games (3-2) as acting coach at Saint Mary’s   ACCOLADES 2015-16 Big West Coach of the Year 2015-16 Red Auerbach College Coach of the Year 2025-26 Red Auerbach College Coach of the Year Finalist 2015-16 CollegeInsider.com Joe B. Hall Award (Top First-Year Coach) ESPN 40 Under 40 (2020) Silver Wave Media Rising Coaches (2020) ACS Beacon of Hope Award (2023) ACS Coaches vs Cancer Champion Award (2024)   COACHING EXPERIENCE Hawai‘i, Head Coach (2015-present); Assistant Coach (2007-10); Director of Basketball Operations (2006-07) Saint Mary’s, Associate Head Coach (2014-15); Assistant Coach (2010-14); Volunteer Assistant (2003-06)   COACHING HIGHLIGHTS    A Winning Culture Holds the best win percentage (.606) of any UH coach in the collegiate era. Ranks second all-time at UH in career wins (195). Led UH to seven straight winning seasons, the second longest streak in program history. Has posted four 20-win seasons, including three in the last four years. Has led UH to two Big West Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament apperances.    Making History Guided UH to a school-record 28 wins in his debut season, surpassing  the first-year Big West win totals of legendary coaches Lute Olson and Jerry Tarkanian. Helped the program capture its first Big West regular-season and  tournament titles in 2015-16. Led UH to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 years and first-ever NCAA Tournament win with an upset over No. 4-seed Cal in 2016. Led UH to the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic title, the program's first tile in the 13-year history of the prestigious event.  In 2025-26 led UH to a Big West Tournament title in the program's final season in the conference.  Returned UH to the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26 for the program's sixth all-time appearance. In 2018-19, guided UH to wins over Pac-12 squads Utah and Colorado, marking  the first time since 1975-76 that UH notched two wins over the Pac-12 in the same season.    Player Development Has coached 22 all-conference players, including Big West Player of the Year Stefan Jankovic. Has coached nearly 20 UH players who have gone on to sign professional contracts throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the NBA's G-League.    Academic Achievement Has had 26 different players earn academic all-conference honors, including a school-record five citations in 2021-22. Has guided the program to a perfect APR score on three occasions during his tenure. Has overseen a program that has achieved record-breaking GPA numbers while also earning NABC Honors Court accolades.        Experienced Leadership Has more than two decades of coaching experience. First came to Hawai‘i in 2006-10, in between two stints separate stints at Saint Mary’s College in California. Started out as UH’s director of basketball operations under Riley Wallace before being promoted to full-time assistant coach by then-head coach Bob Nash due to his tireless work ethic, basketball insight and devotion to the UH program.   OTHER HIGHLIGHTS A member of the NABC’s Coaches vs. Cancer Council since 2017, one of a select group of coaches nationally serving on the board to guide, enhance, and expand the program’s reach. Earned the American Cancer Society's Honolulu Chapter Beacon of Hope Award in 2023 as well as the 2024 Coaches vs Cancer Champion Award for his tireless work in the fight against cancer. Initiated UH’s annual Tipoff Event, a fundraiser that has generated preseason excitement and has brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the program to aid in student-athlete tuition, nutrition and recruiting and retention. Led UH on a pair of historic 10-day goodwill international tours through Australia in 2018 and Japan in 2023. UH has drawn four capacity crowds (10,300) during his tenure, including two in his debut season to end a 12-year sellout drought. Has advocated and assisted with numerous capital improvements, including a renovated practice gym and locker room and a refurbished basketball conference room. Has helped honor the rich history of the UH basketball, highlighted by the program's 100th season celebration in 2019-20, as well as an exhibit commemorating UH's NCAA and NIT post-season teams.    PRIOR TO UH Helped Saint Mary’s maintain its status as a West Coast power with a 124-44 record (.738) during his five years as an assistant, including three seasons with at least 25 wins. The Gaels made two NCAA Tournaments and three NITs, while capturing a pair of WCC titles during his tenure Coached a pair of conference Players of the Year in his position group, including Matthew Dellavedova, an eventual NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mentored numerous players who signed professional contracts,  including Jock Landale, currently of the Phoenix Suns.             Served as SMC’s acting head coach for five games in 2013-14, going 3-2.   PLAYING EXPERIENCE Swarthmore College, 2000-03 EDUCATION Swarthmore College, B.A., Economics and Sociology/Anthropology (2003)   HOMETOWN Tenafly, N.J.   PERSONAL Wife – Barbea; Daughter - Zeza  

Former Rainbow Warrior standout player Gibson Johnson rejoined the Rainbow Warrior staff as an assistant coach in June 2024. Johnson is involved in all aspects of the program with a focus on practice planning, scouting, defense, rebounding, recruiting and player development.   CAREER EXPERIENCE Hawai‘i, Assistant Coach (2024-); Director of Player Development (2021-22); Graduate Manager (2019-21) Utah Tech, Assistant Coach (2022-24) Salt Lake City Community College,  Assistant Coach (2018-19)   HIGHLIGHTS Recruited and coached Tanner Christensen who was named the the 2024 OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic Most Outstanding Player and all-Big West honorable mention at the conclusion of the season. Guided the Rainbow Warriors efforts on the glass as UH led the Big West in least rebounds allowed and ranked 26th nationally in rebound margin in 2024-25.  Has worked in three different capacities at UH - as a graduate manager, the team’s director of player development and currently as an assistant coach. Earned his first Division I assistant coaching job at Utah Tech, helping the Trailblazers improve 145 spots in the KenPom national rankings in his very first season.   A two-year co-captain at UH from 2016-18. Earned all-Big West honorable mention as a junior. Concluded career ninth all-time at UH in field goal percentage (.524). Prior to UH, was an all-region player and won a junior college national championship with Salt Lake Community College.   HOMETOWN Centervile, Utah    ALMA MATER Hawai‘i, 2018 EDUCATION Hawai'i, B.A., Communications (2018) Hawai'i, M.Ed. Education,  (2021)   PERSONAL Wife, Kirsten ; son, Kai; daughter, Elle

Former Rainbow Warrior player Noah Allen joined the Hawai‘i staff as an assistant coach in May 2026.    CAREER EXPERIENCE Hawai‘i, Assistant Coach (2026-)   HIGHLIGHTS Earned first-team All-Big West honors in his lone season at Hawai‘i and the topped the Big West in scoring (18.5 ppg) during conference games.  Became the first UH player in 21 years and just the fifth in school history to score 30 or more four times in a season. Before arriving in Manoa, played three seasons at UCLA where he appeared in 71 career games and was part of a pair of NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 squads.  Following his collegiate career, played professionally for more than a half dozen years in Spain, Germany, Mexico, Argentina and in the G-League (Capital City Go-Go).   COLLEGIATE PLAYING EXPERIENCE Hawai’i, 2016-17 UCLA, 2013-16 HOMETOWN Pacific Grove, Calif. EDUCATION UCLA, B.S., Political Science, 2016 Hawai‘i, Graduate Certificate, Peace and Conflict Resolution, 2017    

John Montgomery returned to Manoa in May 2026 for his second stint with Hawai'i basketball. Montgomery previously served as an assistant on the Rainbow Warriors staff for nine seasons under head coach Eran Ganot, making his mark as the team's defensive coordinator COACHING EXPERIENCE Hawai‘i, Assistant Coach (2015-2021, '26-); Associate Head Coach (2021-24) Long Beach State,  Assistant Coach (2024-26) San Francisco, Director of Operations (2014-15) California, Assistant Coach (2011-14); Director of Operations (2008-11) Furman, Assistant Coach (2007-08)   COACHING HIGHLIGHTS Currently the longest-tenured assistant with the program, having joined Eran Ganot's inaugural staff in 2015-16 and serving nine seasons through 2024, before returning for his second stint in 2026. Has helped UH to a winning mark in seven of his nine seasons. Guide a UH defense that put up a historic season in 2022-23 with best-ever numbers in scoring defense, three-point field goal percentage and assist percentage defense, and ranking in the top 25 in all four categories.  Under his direction in 2021-22, UH limited four straight opponents to under 60 points, a program first in 40 years, while UH finished 36th nationally in scoring defense (64.1 ppg) In his first season at UH in 2015-16, helped the Rainbow Warriors win a school-record 28 games, claim both the Big West regular-season and tournament titles, and capture the program’s first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament. Under his direction, the Rainbow Warriors led the Big West in rebounding margin (+4.3) that season. As rebounding coordinator, UH ranked in the top 30 nationally in defensive rebounding percentage during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Has mentored multiple all-conference players at UH, including Aaron Valdez, Noah Allen and Zigmars Raimo. Valdes earned all-Big West second team honors and was the Big West Tournament’s MVP in 2015-16. In 2016-17, Montgomery guided Noah Allen to one of the most prolific seasons in school history. Allen earned all-Big West first-team honors after leading the league in conference scoring, including a string of four games with 30 or more points.  Served as the programs admissions and academics coordinator and oversaw a stretch of back-to-back seasons with a perfect 1000 APR.  After taking over the post position, Montgomery helped develop Zigmars Raimo who was named the Big West’s Co-Hustle Player of the Year as one of the most versatile frontcourt players in the league.  Montgomery came to the Manoa campus after a successful six-year run with California in the Pac-12 Conference. Worked primarily with the team’s guards and aided in the development of Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jorge Gutierrez, along with all-conference honorees Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs. Crabbe earned Pac-12 Player of the Year honors in 2012-13 as a junior before embarking on a promising NBA career with the Portland Trailblazers.  In his six seasons at Cal, the program went to four NCAA Tournaments and two NIT’s. The 2009-10 Cal Bears team won the Pac-12 for the first time since 1960, then known as the Pac-10. Overall, the team posted an impressive 130-73 record during Montgomery’s tenure with the team. Was a part of the Long Beach State coaching staff for two seasons (2024-26) as the offensive coordinator. Also served as the program’s NIL liaison and alumni coordinator   PLAYING EXPERIENCE Loyola Marymount, 2003-07 PLAYING HIGHLIGHTS A four-year letterwinner at point guard for Loyola Marymount. As a senior, started 12 games and helped the Lions to a win over nationally ranked Gonzaga, scoring 12 points and making three free throws in the last minute to seal the victory. HOMETOWN Menlo Park, Calif. EDUCATION Loyola Marymount, B.A., Sociology (minor in business administration),  2007   PERSONAL Wife - Hannah; Daughters - Mehana and Malie Son of legendary coach Mike Montgomery, a 2016 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  

Clay Wilson joined the Rainbow Warrior staff as an assistant coach in September 2025.    CAREER EXPERIENCE Hawai‘i, Assistant Coach (2025-) Pacific, Assistant Coach (2024-25) Texas Tech, Director of Player Development (2023-24) North Texas, Graduate Assistant (2021-23) Cornell, Assistant Coach (2019-21) Green Country HS, Head Coach (2016-17)   HIGHLIGHTS Boasts more than a half dozen years of coaching experience with stops in the Big XII, WCC, Ivy League and Conference USA. In two seasons at North Texas, helped the program win a total of 56 games, including a 31-win campaign in 2022-23 that resulted in both a CUSA championship and an NIT title.   Part of a 2023-24 Texas Tech squad that rose to No. 15 nationally with six wins over ranked squads in the ultra-competitive Big 12. Helped recruit and develop numerous all-conference players at Cornell, including the program’s first NBA player in 15 years in Chris Manon. A four-year letterwinner at Princeton (2011-15). A team-captain and a member of two postseason teams in 2012 and ‘14. Following his collegiate career, Wilson played professionally for four years in Germany, New Zealand, Latvia and Estonia. HOMETOWN Tulsa, Okla.    ALMA MATER Princeton, 2015 EDUCATION Princeton, B.S., Sociology (2015) North Texas, MBA, Sport Entertainment Management (2023)