HONOLULU — In filling a sizable gap in his staff, Hawaii men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade went to a familiar playbook.

Wade and UH announced the hiring of former Rainbow Warrior Kupono Fey on Tuesday to replace Josh Walker, who after seven years and two national championships left to be an assistant with the Baylor women’s volleyball program.

Like Walker, Fey had a notable career as a ‘Bow (2014-17), then played a handful of seasons as a professional in Europe before coming back to the program.

“Kupono is leaving a career in engineering to come back and give back to the program and the state he has always proudly represented,” Wade said in a UH release. “He is one of a few players I’ve had discussion with about coaching with us while he was still playing. He comes from a coaching family, so you can say it is in his DNA to do this. Kupono will be a great asset to our program and I am looking forward to watching him succeed at coaching the same way he has done with everything in his life.”

As a UH player, Fey, a 6-5 hitter out of Punahou, was a member of two NCAA tournament teams under Wade. He was the team’s No. 2 offensive option as a senior behind Stijn van Tilburg and picked up honorable mention Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors after recording 2.75 kills per set. That year, UH set a program record with 27 wins and made the national semifinals.

Fey played in Italy from 2017 to 20 and in Greece in 2021.

Walker, the only person in program history to receive an AVCA assistant coach of the year award, was known for, among other things, his extensive scout preparation for the two-time defending national champs.

“I am very excited to be the new assistant coach at UH and to be able to work alongside Charlie and Milan (Zarkovic),” Fey said in a statement. “The two of them and Josh (Walker) have created an amazing program and my goal is to help however I can to continue their success. I will have some big shoes to fill, but I think my knowledge and experience playing at UH and professionally in Europe will definitely be able to help this team.”

Fey’s mother is Shelley (Kahuanui) Fey, a former Rainbow Wahine basketball player and girls' hoops coach at Punahou. His grandfather is Harry “Clown” Kahuanui, the former UH football great, who also coached high school.

The Rainbow Warriors are projected to return every rotation player as they go for a third national championship in 2023.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.