HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i men's basketball head coach Gib Arnold announced the first addition to his coaching staff with the hiring of Walter Roese as  associate coach for the Rainbow Warriors. Roese, a native of Brazil, comes to UH with a rich background in collegiate and international basketball and returns to the islands after both playing and coaching at BYU-Hawai'i.

“I'm very excited to have Walter join the UH family,” Arnold said. “I believe he's perfect for what we are trying to accomplish. He is a relentless recruiter who has coached in the Big 12, Mountain West, and West Coast Conference. He is considered by the basketball community as one of the hardest workers in the country. He not only is a great recruiter and coach, he is a great fit for Hawai'i.”

Roese said: “My family and I are thrilled to be returning to Hawai'i, a place that has been so good to us, where my wife and I met, where we both went to school and where both our children were born. Some of the best years of my life have been spent in the islands and I'm proud to now be joining such a fine institution as the University of Hawai'i.  I'm excited about Coach Arnold's vision and I look forward to raising my family in Hawai'i and helping build a championship program.”

Besides BYU-Hawai'i, Roese has coached at Nebraska, San Diego and Brigham Young—where he became the first Brazilian full-time assistant coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball in 2005. In just five short seasons on the Division I level, he has seen success at each one of his stops with nearly 100 combined wins and four postseason berths, including two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Roese also brings crucial experience from the international realm as a coach in the Brazilian national program since 2006. He is currently serving as the head coach of the U-18 national team that has toured South America, Europe and the United States. Roese also headed the junior national teams that competed in the 2009 World University Games in Serbia and the 2007 Games in Thailand. Roese is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

“Walter has a great recruiting network throughout the world,” Arnold said. “His connections will allow us to take a global approach to our recruiting efforts.” 

Roese most recently served as an assistant at Nebraska the last two seasons. During his first season in Lincoln, he helped the Huskers to 18 wins and a second straight postseason berth in the National Invitation Tournament. The Huskers also earned an 8-8 record in conference play in 2008-09, their first .500 or better mark in a decade, while also leading the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense for the second straight season. 

Prior to Nebraska, Roese coached at San Diego and in his one season there helped the Toreros to the 2008 WCC title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. San Diego advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history with an overtime upset of Connecticut in the opening round. The Toreros ended the season with a 22-14 record, including wins in 14 of its last 17 games. 

Roese's first Division I assistant coaching stint came at Brigham Young. During a two-year span, Roese helped the Cougars win 45 games and earn two postseason berths. In 2006-07 the Cougars went 25-9 record and made the NCAA Tournament. In 2005-06, BYU recorded a 20-9 mark and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. The Cougars also went to the postseason during Roese's prior two seasons as the team's director of operations.

As a collegiate player, Roese attended the University of Houston, West Texas A&M and BYU-Hawai'i, while playing at the Division I, Division II and NAIA levels. He was the MVP of the Lone Star Conference in 1992 at West Texas A&M, and was a Scholar-Athlete All-American at BYU-Hawai'i. Roese earned his bachelor's degree in international business administration in 1994 from BYU-Hawai'i.

A native of Novo Hamburgo in southern Brazil, Roese played professionally in Brazil and Italy before returning to BYU-Hawai'i as a volunteer coach in 2000-01. He later earned his MBA from BYU in 2003 and served as a graduate assistant for the Cougars during the two years leading up to his degree.

Roese comes from an athletic family that boasts six members who have participated at the Olympic level in basketball, volleyball and tennis. Roese spent extensive time with the Brazilian national team and professional clubs, playing in four World Cup tournaments and at international competitions in Europe, Asia and South America. 

Roese and his wife, Monique, have two children, Leonardo and Agatha. 

2008-10           Nebraska                                   Assistant Coach        

2007-08           San Diego                                  Assistant Coach

2005-07           Brigham Young                         Assistant Coach

2003-05           Brigham Young                         Director of Operations

2001-03           Brigham Young                         Graduate Assistant

2000-01           Brigham Young-Hawai'i           Volunteer Coach