A University of Hawai’i women’s basketball player alleges that head coach Jim Bolla kicked her during a practice this season and confirmed that it
was she who reported the incident to the UH athletic department, spurring the second formal investigation into allegations of abuse by Bolla in less than a year. The player declined to describe the circumstances surrounding the incident but when asked if she felt the contact was inappropriate enough to warrant a complaint she responded affirmatively. She said she and other players have been advised by the department not to comment because the investigation is on-going. The player’s account of the incident was corroborated by others, a person with knowledge of the team said. Amid the current claims, reports have surfaced about past allegations of abuse involving Bolla at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Bolla, who is on an indefinite paid leave of absence, could not be reached for comment and has not returned previous calls from The Advertiser seeking comment. “There has been no change in his status as of (yesterday),” UH Manoa spokesman Gregg Takayama said, although he did foresee a change in the next few days. Associate coach Pat Charity has been running the team since Feb. 13. The Rainbow Wahine are 6-20 with three regular season games remaining plus the Western Athletic Conference tournament. Bolla reportedly has been seeking legal representation in the event UH decides to terminate a contract that has two seasons remaining after this one at an estimated $120,000 per season.
The UH athletic department last year conducted an investigation into allegations of verbal abuse and other mistreatment raised by current and former players. One of the players alleged that Bolla repeatedly mocked her for being a lesbian — she said she is heterosexual — and once told her that she was “too fat” to ever play for him.