Utah Valley women's basketball head coach
Cathy Nixon announced the addition of Hiram N. Akina as a special assistant to the coaching staff prior to the 2018-19 season.
"It really is like a dream come true to me to have Hiram join the staff," said Nixon. "He was one my assistant coaches when I played and has been a mentor and a great friend of mine. He has a lot of strengths as a coach, but just his understanding of the game will help our staff most in player development. We're excited to have him join our Wolverine family."
Akina adds a wealth of experience to the UVU bench with a coaching career that spans four decades, including stints as an assistant at BYU, and with both the BYU-Hawaii women's and men's team, as well as the head coach from 2010-13 at BYU-Hawaii. During his time as an assistant at BYU, Akina helped coach Nixon to All-America status during her playing career at BYU from 1984-88.
"It's an amazing experience to become a part of Coach Nixon's program and the Wolverine family. Not many past coaches have had the opportunity to come back and coach with a former player, especially at this level. For her having an All-American career at BYU and then be the coach at UVU, I see her demanding the same qualities that made her the kind of player she was," said Akina.
"Coach Nixon, came into the program as a five-star recruit. She played with great passion. A very intense competitor who came from a very outstanding high school program, she paid attention to every detail and was very coachable. She played with no fear, and the most intriguing quality about her is that she was a humble 18-year-old with a great basketball I.Q. and loved everyone associated with the program, especially her teammates, on and off the court. She now expresses that same love and passion everyday, in how much she cares about her young women and wants them to have a great UVU experience."
In addition to his previous stints at the NCAA Division I, II and NAIA levels, Akina has enjoyed head coaching gigs at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (women), Arizona Boys Ranch, Hopi High School (girls), Kahuku High School (boys) Mililani High School (boys), Las Vegas High School (boys), and Brinley Middle School (boys). He has also served as an assistant coach at different schools: Leilehua High boys, Mililani High boys, Valley High boys, Kahuku High boys for two different stints, and two years as Kahuku High School girls basketball team.
During his prep head coaching career, Akina guided two of his squads to a pair of (O.I.A.) Public School titles and a state runners up title. He won his first championship at Mililani High School in 2008. In 2009 he moved to Kahuku High School and won the (O.I.A.) Public School Championship. He is the only coach to win back to back O.I.A. championships at 2 different schools.
Akina is married to Pamela (Terry) from Las Vegas and they have eight children and 16 (and counting) grandchildren. He earned a Bachelor's degree from BYU-Hawaii in 1983 and later earned a Master's degree at BYU in 1986. A native of Wahiawa, Hawaii, Coach Akina and his wife currently reside in Orem, Utah,
