Since being hired in June, new University of Hawai‘i softball coach Panita Thanatharn has called the months since a whirlwind. Between moving to the Islands and putting her initial recruiting class and coaching staff together, time has been of the essence.
Thanatharn, who joined Hawai‘i after 16 years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Long Beach State, is a head coach for the first time with UH.
Last week, Thanatharn held her first practice as the program's head coach at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. As the Mānoa mist started to come down following practice, Thanatharn fielded some questions about her transition to UH and what she's hoping to see from the team in the fall, which includes eight scrimmages.
Aloha State Daily: What was your first practice like, just being on the field with your team?
Thanatharn: "It was exciting. First day right then, we already had to deal with a little adversity with the rain starting, so they dealt with that for a little bit just to start. But super excited. They're excited. It's our first day. We haven't seen a whole lot yet. This the first time they were all together. Just a lot of reps, a lot of evaluating, kind of throwing them right into it. We play a week from Friday, so hitting the ground running."
ASD: How has your time in Hawai‘i been so far?
Thanatharn: "It's been awesome. The support has been great since we've been here. I have my whole staff together now. Since I got hired, been hitting the ground running with recruiting and then just trying to get to know our players. My time here has been awesome, and everybody's been really supportive, and the girls are working hard, and the whole support staff is, too. It's been fun.
"I told the girls they were my No. 1 priority. And then right after that, I was going to work as fast as I can and hard as I can to find a staff, but at the same time, I was going to take my time just to make sure it'd be a right fit for the girls and for myself.
"We kind of came in here not knowing anybody, and just learning a lot about the state of Hawai‘i. It's been awesome, yeah. .... It's been paradise, for sure. I'm not quite settled yet, but my assistants got settled right away. I'm living out of a suitcase a little bit, but I close on my house on Monday, so I'm signing papers today, so then I will be settled."
ASD: How are you liking the Hawai‘i weather?
Thanatharn: "We haven't gotten poured on too much. It's just a little bit of showers here and there. But the weather has been great. Our girls, they're tough. ... They went out there, they were eager to get out there, and then they were stretching in the rain. They're just excited to get working."
ASD: What's your relationship like with (new UH athletics director) Matt Elliott? (Note: Thanatharn was hired by then-acting athletics director Lois Manin in June, back when the search for UH's permanent AD was still in progress).
Thanatharn: "It's been awesome. He called me right when he got hired. I was still on the Mainland, and he called me right away. I know my old colleagues are people that he's worked with before. Right when he got hired, they called him. They all loved him or loved working for him. So they're like, 'Oh, you guys are gonna match perfectly.' He's been nothing but supportive. It's been awesome. Like I said, everybody's been awesome. The support staff has been great. ... He's been super supportive in our needs and wants, and he gets it, and it's been awesome."
ASD: What are some of your objectives for fall ball?
Thanatharn: "Fall is a lot of practice. We're playing all eight of the games that we're allowed to play. ... Everybody's gonna play, whether you start or don't start. The nice thing with fall ball is free substitution. We're gonna try a lot of different combos. We're all new. We want to see what's best for the team, and we're going to try to mix and match up a few things and see what's best. And like I told the girls, their best position might not be what's best for the team, but we're just going to try to find the best combo. We're going to do just a lot of mixing and matching and seeing what the best lineup is going to be come spring."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
