Matt Buhler Coaching In Hawaii

HONOLULU, Hawaii (WIBW) - It's more than 3800 miles from Rossville, Kansas to a basketball career in Honolulu. But for Matt Buhler, it's the first step on the journey to a career in coaching.

"I figured let's make a change and do something out of the ordinary," Buhler says of his decision to move so far from home.

With a couple years coaching junior varsity basketball at Washburn Rural under his belt, Buhler sent some resumes and ended up as a graduate assistant at Hawaii Pacific University, where the head coach is actually a Wichita native.

"(The Hawaiians) give you Midwestern feel. The aloha spirit welcomed me with open arms," he said.

The son of Shawnee County Commissioner Shelly Buhler and Washburn Rural football coach Steve Buhler, Matt is working on a graduate degree in military studies and diplomacy, while also using the skills that made him a standout in football and baseball, along with basketball. Buhler says he loved playing in a small town with his friends and for his father.

"I think by playing three sports, I've taken something from each and put it into how I coach, how I teach kids, explain things to kids," Buhler said. "You have to be well rounded."

That applies to athletics as well as life. Matt says he enjoying Hawaiian culture, especially the food, even though he still isn't accustomed to being served rice at most every meal. And while he enjoys spending time at the beaches, he has yet to try surfing.

As HPU prepares to travel to exhibitions Saturday at Wichita State and Monday at UMKC, Buhler is imparting a bit of insider knowledge.

"They have to pack heavier clothes!" he laughed.

On a more serious note, he says he simply encourages the players to compete and not let themselves be judged. Just as people might consider him a farm kid from Kansas, he says the HPU players shouldn't be looked at as just a bunch of surfers. On the court, he says, it doesn't matter where you're from.

While the team will be going to his home state, Buhler, unfortunately, will not. While he'd love to back and see family, he says his job and his duties are in Honolulu, where he'll be working with the players not making the trip, helping them get better. After all, he says, that he signed up to do.