MEDIA RELEASE

University of Hawaii at Hilo seniors Vince Sanekane (Pahoa, Hawaii) and Zach Wilde (Snohomish, Wash.) have been named recipients of the Coach Jimmy Yagi Basketball Scholarship for the 2011-12 academic year.

The Coach Jimmy Yagi Scholarship helps the UHH men’s basketball program under veteran coach Jeff Law. It provides Law with annual scholarships based on high academic performance.

Law said the purpose of the Coach Jimmy Yagi Scholarship is to enable UHH to recruit basketball players who are high academic achievers as well as talented athletes. To qualify for the annual $7,500 award, candidates must meet a minimum 3.5 GPA. The student also must achieve the 3.5 or higher GPA while participating throughout a basketball season as well as taking and completing a minimum of 30 credits toward graduation — 15 per semester.

Yagi, the former UHH coach, and his wife, Jeanne, helped establish the basketball scholarship late last year with a $15,000 lead gift and combined with their family, friends and Vulcan supporters to raise $50,000 in the drive. Then-UHH Chancellor Rose Tseng matched the funds brought in for a total amount of $100,000 for the new endowed scholarship.

“Sports can be such an important part of a student’s education, but working to achieve academic excellence is also critically important,” Jimmy Yagi said. “We believe Vulcan athletics can help bring new focus to academic excellence — and help to raise standards on campus at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.”

In all, about 150 individuals contributed to the funding.

Yagi is a 1957 UH-Manoa graduate and has been involved with UHH for almost 50 years, including a legendary head coaching career (1973-85) with the Vulcans basketball team.

Yagi and his wife continue to make numerous contributions to support the Hilo sports community.

Note: Checks are still being accepted and can be made payable to: UH Foundation/Coach Yagi Scholarship Endowment and sent to UHH Office of Development, 200 W. Kawili Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. Gifts can also be made online at:

http://www.uhf.hawaii.edu/YagiScholarship.

For more information, contact the UHH Office of Development at (808) 933-1945.