Warrior Insider

The most over-qualified Director of Basketball Operations in America is moving on.

After one year in that position with the Hawai’i basketball team, Kerry Rupp has accepted a job as a lead assistant coach with the University of Montana basketball team.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to get back on the floor and get out and recruit and help that program,” he said.

Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold said he expected Rupp to be “recruited” by other programs because “he was just too good.” Prior to his one-year stint with the Warriors, Rupp served as a head coach at Louisiana Tech, and was either an associate or assistant coach at Indiana, Utah and UAB.

(Rupp is at far right in the photo, courtesy Brandon Flores)

“He was so good — he was just too good to be sitting as the director of basketball operations,” Arnold said. “The director of basketball operations isn’t able to coach, isn’t able to recruit, and that’s what he does best.”

As the director of operations at Hawai’i, Rupp’s duties included organizing practice schedules and making travel arrangements for road trips, as well as assisting with academics and film breakdown. Rupp described his one season at Hawai’i as “invaluable.”

“I got to look at things from a different perspective than you would as an assistant and head coach,” he added.

He said the experience he gained in arranging road trips was particularly memorable – for better or worse. “I look at this as an opportunity where there isn’t anything now, I think, that I haven’t had the opportunity to do through all my experience in high school and college. Anything a head coach asks me to do, I would have the expertise and knowledge.”

Indeed, Rupp noted that he had to work closely with every person on the staff, including secretary Bobbie Omoto, administrative assistant Nicholas Milan and strength and conditioning coordinator Chris McMillian, as well as Arnold and the other coaches.

Rupp’s departure creates an opening for the UH Director of Basketball Operations, and Arnold said he is already looking for candidates.