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Jeff Hironaka

Hometown: Weiser, Idaho Position: Dir. Player Development/Special Asst. to Head Coach Experience: Fourth Season

Alma Mater: Eastern Oregon, 1980

Jeff Hironaka enters his 14th season working alongside head coach Ken Bone, his fourth with the Washington State University men's basketball program and his first as Director of Player Development/Special Assistant to the Head Coach in 2012-13. Hironaka spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at WSU.

His 2009 squad advanced to the second round of the tournament after posting a 19-10 record, including an 11-4 conference mark, good for third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Falcons also capped a 21-8 campaign in 2008 with a second-round appearance.

Hironaka led SPU to back-to-back GNAC titles in 2006 and 2007. The 2006 team won 26 games en route to a national semifinal appearance, matching the best NCAA Tournament performance in school history. Hironaka was also on the staff during the Falcons' previous Final Four run in 2000.

Hironaka joined Bone's SPU staff in 1991 and became the associate head coach in 1996. During his 18-year tenure on the coaching staff, the Falcons went 370-154, earned seven outright or shared conference championships and qualified for NCAA Division II Tournament berths 13 of the final 16 years. Hironaka's 11-year run as Bone's chief aide was the longest of any assistant in program history.

A two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Hironaka was also the 2006 NABC West Region Coach of the Year. SPU registered a winning record in each of Hironaka's seven seasons, including a 20-9 mark in 2005. His 16-11 record in 2003 was the second-best debut season in the program's modern history.

Hironaka has more than 20 years of bench experience and an extensive network of contacts in the college game. Before going to SPU, he served on the staff at Idaho State from 1987-90, and later was an assistant coach and assistant athletic director at The Master's College in Newhall, Calif. While at Idaho State he completed his master's in sports administration.

A native of Weiser, Idaho, Hironaka began coaching in 1980 at his high school as the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant coach. In 1986 he became head coach at Idaho's Ririe High School and moved to Blackfoot High the following year.

Hironaka was an accomplished player, lettering three seasons at Eastern Oregon, where he obtained his degree in secondary education in 1980. He was a member of the team's coaching staff in 1979-80. At Weiser High he was an All-Snake River Conference guard.

The Jeff Hironaka File
- WSU made its second-straight postseason tournament in 2012, reaching the championship round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) after advancing to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2011.
- The Cougars notched a 4-2 mark in the CBI, their most single-season postseason victories.
- Assisted in WSU's run to the NIT Semifinals in New York in 2011, as the team went 3-1 in the tournament, which at the time marked the most postseason victories in a single season for Washington State
. - WSU's 22 wins in his second season tie for the 10th most in school history as it reached 20-plus wins for just the 18th time.
- Compiled a 134-67 record as head coach at Seattle Pacific for seven seasons.
- Served on Ken Bone's staff at SPU from 1991-2002.
- Led SPU to back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles in 2006 and 2007.
- Took the Falcons to the last five NCAA Division II Tournaments.
- Led 2006 squad to the national semifinal, matching the school's best NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
- Earned GNAC Coach of the Year honors twice and was named the 2006 NABC West Region Coach of the Year.

Education:
Eastern Oregon (secondary education), 1980; Idaho State (Master's in Sports Administration), 1990

Coaching Experience:
1979-80, Eastern Oregon - Junior Varsity Coach
1980-85, Weiser High School - Varsity and Junior Varsity Coach
1985-86, Ririe High School - Head Coach
1986-87, Blackfoot High School - Head Coach
1987-90, Idaho State - Assistant Coach
1990-91, The Master's College - Asst. Coach/Teacher/Asst. AD
1991-96, Seattle Pacific - Assistant Coach
1996-2002, Seattle Pacific - Associate Head Coach
2002-2009, Seattle Pacific - Head Coach
2009-2012, Washington State - Assistant Coach
2012-present, Washington State - Dir. of Player Development/Special Asst. to Head Coach

Playing Experience:
1976-79 Eastern Oregon