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Kaniela Aiona
(Photo credit: Menlo College Athletics)

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo welcomes its next men’s basketball coach, Kaniela Aiona, back home to Hawaiʻi Island. Announced by Vulcan Athletic Director Patrick Guillen, Aiona is set to begin his duties on June 1.

“Mahalo to President David Lassner, Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, Athletic Director Patrick Guillen and the search committee members for believing in me,” Aiona said. “I will work tirelessly to fulfill our shared vision for the UH Hilo men’s basketball program. I am humbled by this opportunity to serve the Hilo and Big Island ʻohana. We will be committed to developing outstanding young men who strive for excellence on and off the court.”

For Aiona, it is a return to his earliest basketball roots. A Big Island native, Aiona is the sixth head coach in the long storied history of the program.

UH Hilo basketball has influenced my foundation,” stated Aiona. “Some of my fondest memories include attending Vulcan Camp as a child, interacting with Vulcan players and coaches, roaming the Civic all day and watching the Big Island Invitational Tournaments of the 1990s.”

Aiona has spent the past five seasons as the head coach at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif., turning the Oaks program around. He took over a team that went 3-23 in ‘14–15, improving to a 20-11 record in just three seasons (‘17–18). Aiona’s squad went 19-11 this past year and finished second in the Golden State Athletic Conference. It qualified for the 2019–20 NAIA national tournament that was canceled because of COVID-19.

Aiona’s Menlo teams have had a 3.0+ GPA in each of his five seasons, and he has had 10 NAIA Scholar Athletes since 2017, more than any other school in the country.

“Aiona places a high-priority in student-athlete experience built on high academic achievement, athletic excellence and teaching a team culture of gratitude, service and aloha,” said Guillen. “I know our community will be just as excited as I am in bringing Kaniela and his ʻohana back home to the Big Island to work together and lead our men’s basketball team back to national prominence.”

For the full story, visit the UH Hilo Athletics website.

kaniela aiona and team
Aiona coached the Oaks for five years before returning to UH Hilo (Photo credit: Menlo College Athletics)
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