The University of Hawaii’s new women’s head basketball coach won’t need directions to get around campus but hopes to guide the Rainbow Wahine to where she went as a player.
Khalilah Mitchell made it to the Final Four five times as a player at LSU (including a redshirt injury season), and for the past seven seasons has helped UH to a consistent spot at the top of the Big West Conference.
Mitchell is scheduled to be formally introduced as the new head coach of the Wahine today, taking the place of Laura Beeman, who announced her retirement last month after 14 years at UH.
“There is no one more prepared for this moment than Khalilah Mitchell,” Beeman said in a press release. “She has been an intricate part to the successes of our program and her basketball IQ is only surpassed by her ability to connect with young women. I am stepping away knowing the program is in the best possible hands. I can’t wait to sit in the stands of the Stan Sheriff Center and cheer on Coach Mitchell and this team.”
Mitchell’s three-year contract starts as UH joins the Mountain West this season.
Since Mitchell joined the Hawaii coaching staff in 2018, the Rainbow Wahine have made four postseason appearances and won three Big West regular-season championships. The Wahine went 124-81 during her tenure as an assistant and posted at least 20 wins in each of her past four seasons with the program.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named the head coach of the University of Hawaii women’s basketball program,” Mitchell said in a release from UH. “I want to thank (athletic director) Matt Elliott for his trust in me. Hawaii has become my home, and these student-athletes are my family. Coach Beeman set a standard of excellence here that is unmatched, and I am eager to build upon that foundation. Our goal remains the same, to compete for championships and represent this state and this university with pride.”
Mitchell began her coaching career in 2009 as a graduate assistant at Central Florida and was elevated to assistant coach in 2011. She arrived at UH in 2018 and helped the Wahine place second in the Big West and earn a WNIT bid in her first season with the program. She helped UH capture both the conference regular-season and tournament titles for the first time in program history in the 2021-22 season, then spent 2022-23 as an assistant at San Jose State. She returned to Manoa the following season and helped guide the team to two more regular-season titles and back-to-back berths in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Mitchell was chosen “after an extensive search that drew interest from around the country,” Elliott said.
“(It) became clear that the best leader for our program was already right here in Manoa,” Elliott said. “Khalilah Mitchell embodies everything we look for in a head coach: integrity, a relentless work ethic, and a deep-seated passion for the student-athletes. She has played an instrumental role in our championship culture, and demonstrated that she is ready to be our head coach. I am confident she is the right person to lead the Rainbow Wahine into this next chapter.”
Mitchell is “a perfect hire for the University of Hawaii,” according to one of her former coaches.
LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey said, “Khalilah has a deep love for that community and understands their great traditions. More importantly, she is an excellent coach and teacher who genuinely cares about her student-athletes. I have known Khalilah for over 20 years, including coaching her at LSU. She has a contagious enthusiasm and a desire to lead which will guide the Rainbow Wahine to levels of excellence on and off the court.”
Mitchell has played a key role in the development of Big West Player of the Year honorees Amy Atwell and Lily Wahinekapu, UH’s career three-point leader MeiLani McBee and three-time all-conference players Daejah Phillips and Imani Perez.
Mitchell’s elevation to head coach comes on the heels of her selection to the prestigious 2026 WBCA Next Generation Institute, a program designed for elite assistant coaches identified as the future leaders of the sport.
Beeman’s teams went 244-180, leading the Wahine to nine postseason appearances, four Big West regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships.