Warrior Insider

Scott Fisher has been hired to fill the vacant assistant coach’s position for the Hawaii basketball team. Fisher is no stranger to the staff and team, as he served as the director of basketball operations last season.

Also, Benjy Taylor was elevated to associate coach after serving as an assistant coach last season.

WarriorInsider.com will have more on these coaching moves later in the week. For now, here is the official announcement from the UH Media Relations Office:

HONOLULU – University of Hawai’i men’s basketball head coach Gib Arnold announced a pair of changes to his 2011-12 coaching staff. Benjy Taylor has been elevated to associate coach and Scott Fisher has been hired as an assistant coach.

Taylor served as an assistant coach last year, while Fisher was previously the team’s director of operations. The pair fill the void left by former associate coach Walter Roese, who left the program earlier this summer.

As an assistant coach last year, Taylor helped guide UH to a 19-13 finish and an appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. He will continue his duties recruiting, scouting, scheduling and working with the team’s wing players, while now adding the duties of team travel, NCAA compliance and serving as a liaison to the program’s booster club. The native of Jacksonville, N.C., boasts more 20 years of coaching experience and was the 2009 Independent Division I Coach of the Year while at Chicago State.

“We’re fortunate to have Benjy as our associate coach,” Arnold said. “Having run his own Division I program, he’s someone I can rely on to run the team while I’m away recruiting. He’s a trusted coach who always has the best interest of the University.”

Meanwhile Fisher moves up after serving as director of operations under Arnold last year. His duties last season included coordinating team travel, film breakdown and exchange; recruiting, academics and camp; and supervising the team managers. As an assistant this year he will be involved in recruiting, scouting, monitoring the team’s academic progress and working with the team’s post players. The native of Fremont, Calif., was a professional head coach in Australia’s NBL, following a hall of fame playing career.

“Scott is more than qualified to be an assistant on our staff having been a professional head coach and hall of fame player,” Arnold said. “He contributed to our success last year as our director of operations and now we’ll be able to tap into his basketball knowledge and experience even more. It’s exciting to have such quality personnel who can step up when needed.”