Hawai‘i Volleyball Brings Home Maui Native Donan Cruz as Assistant Coach

By Kennedy Choo

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa men’s volleyball program has added a major name to its coaching staff. Maui native and former Ball State head coach Donan Cruz has been named an assistant coach under head coach Charlie Wade, following the departure of long-time assistant Milan Zarkovic to UCLA.

“I wanted to be back home and join this team with championship aspirations,” Cruz said. “This is a really unique opportunity for me.”

Cruz, a 2001 Baldwin High School graduate, brings a proven track record to Manoa. During his time with the Ball State Cardinals, he amassed 81 wins as head coach and led the team to a Final Four appearance in 2022, where they fell to the Rainbow Warriors in a five-set thriller. That same season, Cruz was named AVCA National Coach of the Year.

“Ball State was a great program that hadn’t seen a conference championship, regular season or postseason in over 20 years,” Cruz said. “To be able to go there and have an impact on their legacy is something I’m really proud of.”

Still, the opportunity to return home and coach at one of the premier men’s volleyball programs in the nation was something Cruz couldn’t pass up.

This past June, Cruz served as an assistant coach for the U.S. U21 Men’s National Team, working with current Warrior players Tread Rosenthal, Kainoa Wade, and Trevell Jordan.

“To come up here, jump into practice—it felt like we were back in Colorado Springs,” Cruz said, referring to the U.S. team's training base.

Now, Cruz trades in Ball State’s red and white for Hawai‘i’s iconic green and white.

“To be back here, wearing the Hawai‘i team gear and being around the team—it’s pretty amazing,” he said.