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In this ever-worsening job market, UH-Hilo athletics is hiring.

Vulcans athletic director Pat Guillen said he plans to interview the three finalists for the women’s volleyball coaching position Tuesday, and hopes “to make an announcement (on a selection) by the end of the week.”

Guillen said interim coach Chris Leonard reapplied for the position when it reopened in January, but he declined to say whether Leonard remains under consideration. In his first season at the helm of one of UHH’s premier programs, Leonard led the Vuls to their first NCAA regional postseason appearance since 2011 and a second-place finish in the Pacific West Conference.

As for the vacancy atop the school’s marquee program, men’s basketball, Guillen’s goal is to find a replacement for GE Coleman by May 1. The position is open through Thursday.

It was announced March 3 that Coleman wouldn’t be retained. Guillen, obviously, couldn’t have foreseen that the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak would prompt several states, including Hawaii, to shut down, but he doesn’t expect the pandemic to hinder the hiring process.

“This is the first coaching search we’ve done where the applications are online,” Guillen said. “We could have anywhere between 150 to 200 applications. It’s unbelievable the amount of emails I’ve gotten. There are a lot of people who haven’t emailed me and just have gone directly to the online application.”

The coronavirus appears to have triggered a buyer’s market for ADs. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, only UHH, Humboldt State, Holy Names and Colorado Christian have openings among Division II schools in the West. There are no jobs currently open among Power 5 schools and just 17 in Division I. On average, there were 52 D-I openings per year the past decade.

The uncertain climate does increase Guillen’s sense of urgency.

“The general assumption is that things are closing down and locking down,” Guillen said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got to ratchet it up and get someone in here as soon as possible.”

UHH was already the most isolated program in the country before travel restrictions were taken into consideration, but a university spokesperson pointed out that all interviews are done by Skype or phone.

The eventual hire inherits a program that hasn’t reached the Pacific West Conference playoffs in seven tries and hasn’t secured a winning record since 2011.

“The new coach is going to inject the program with energy, talent and direction,” Guillen said. “Fresh ideas. I think it’s going to be a new day for men’s basketball.”

While geography, finances and UHH’s public-school status in a predominant private-school conference are drawbacks to some, Guillen said the job sells itself because of the community.

“I can tell the coaches we have an incredible community that is very supportive of basketball, and I’m not just saying that,” he said. “When I go to meetings on the mainland, ADs of other schools will tell me how impressed their coaches are by the support we get here.

“The aloha spirit, I’m somebody who thought I knew what it was before I came here, but you don’t know what it is before you have a chance to live here and interact with people in this community. I say that from the bottom of my heart.

“If we get the right person for the job,” Guillen said, “and I’m very confident that we will, that same selling point is one the coach will give to prospective student-athletes.”

Also

• By April 1, Guillen has asked his spring sport coaches to give him a list of seniors who plan to return next season. Because the outbreak cut their seasons short, the NCAA announced all student-athletes in spring sports (at UHH: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis) may ask for a waiver to retain year of eligibility.

“Some of our programs already have commitments and planned on these seniors graduating,” he said “Scholarships have already been committed to (incoming) freshman, so those are scholarship dollars where we’re going to have to figure out something.”

• It is too early to tell, Guillen said, just how big a chunk the pandemic will take from the school’s athletic budget from the state.

“I’m sure there is going to be lost funding, I just don’t know how much it’s going to be,” he said.

Guillen and Kula Oda, associate athletic director, have already worked through “worst-case scenarios.”

• Guillen said he wasn’t caught off guard Monday that Notre Dame de Namur dropped it athletic programs, leaving the PacWest with 11 members.

Citing unsustainable enrollment decline and declining revenue, the school didn’t commit being open to beyond the spring of 2021.

“This had nothing to do with the virus,” Guillen said.

More than 392,000 people worldwide — including more than 46,000 people in the United States – have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. Officials are attempting to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. as schools, businesses and public events are closed or canceled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking cases in the U.S. here. Live updates for Tuesday, March 24, continue below: 2020 Paralympics pushed to 2021 Update 11 a.m. EDT March 24: Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, said postponing the Olympics and Paralympics to 2021 presented “the only logical option.” The Paralympics are governed by the same contract as the Tokyo Olympics. Parsons said “by taking this decision now, everyone involved in the Paralympic Movement, including all Para athletes, can fully focus on their own health and well-being and staying safe during this unprecedented and difficult time.” Ford, GM take steps to start making ventilators, respirators Update 10:50 a.m. EDT March 24: Ford is partnering with 3M and GE Healthcare to make respirators and ventilators as need for the medical equipment grows due to the coronavirus pandemic, CNN reported. Ford and 3M will be making a powered air-purifying respirator, or PAPR, as well as making the company’s current respirator. At the same time, Ford has partnered with GE Healthcare to make ventilators. But details have not been released as to how that will happen. McConnell says senators ‘are very close’ to reaching stimulus deal Update 10:40 a.m. EDT March 24: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that lawmakers “are very close” to reaching a deal over the coronavirus stimulus bill. “We are close to a bill that takes our bold Republican framework, integrates further ideas from both parties and delivers huge progress on each of the four core priorities I laid out a week ago,” McConnell said during remarks Tuesday morning on the Senate floor. ‘If we act today what Americans will remember and what history will record is that the Senate did the right thing – that we came together.” Detroit police dispatcher dies of COVID-19, reports say Update 10:30 a.m. EDT March 24: A Detroit police dispatcher has died after being diagnosed with the 2019 novel coronavirus, according to multiple reports. WXYZ identified the patient as a 38-year-old civilian dispatcher. Citing Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, the Detroit Metro Times reported that as of Monday, nine Detroit police officers have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting more than 280 officers to quarantine. 63 more coronavirus deaths, 811 new cases reported in the Netherlands Update 10:05 a.m. EDT March 24: Health officials in the Netherlands said Tuesday that 811 new novel coronavirus cases have been reported, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 5,560. Officials with the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport said 63 people have died of COVID-19 since numbers were last released Monday, bringing the number of coronavirus deaths in the Netherlands to 276. The patients who had fatal coronavirus cases ranged in age from 55 to 97 years old, according to authorities. “The actual number of COVID-19 infections is higher than the number of reports in this update,” health official noted Tuesday. “This is because not everyone suspected of a COVID-19 infection is tested. The cases reported here are mainly patients who are so sick that they are admitted to hospital, and healthcare providers.” The Dutch government tightened its coronavirus measures Monday night, including banning all gatherings, events and meetings until June 1 and urging people to stay home. It is giving local mayors beefed-up powers to enforce the restrictions. Can you get COVID-19 more than once? Update 10 a.m. EDT March 24: As doctors continue to test and study the 2019 novel coronavirus, WFTV in Orlando, Florida, wanted to know if someone can get COVID-19 after they’ve tested positive and recovered once from the virus. “The jury is out on this one,” Dr. Candice Jones said. “We just have to wait and see, and it may differ depending on the severity of your illness.” Jones said there is a debate among some coronavirus researchers who say the immune system works so that we develop some level of immunity after we get an infection. Amazon suspends accounts accused of price gouging Update 9:35 a.m. EDT March 24: Amazon has shut down 3,900 accounts the online retail giant said were charging too much for products. Officially the company said the accounts had been “violating our fair pricing policies,” also known as price gouging, USA Today reported. Tokyo Olympics officially postponed to 2021 Update 9 a.m. EDT March 24: The Tokyo Olympics have been officially postponed until 2021. The International Olympic Committee along with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and local organizers have decided that the Tokyo Games cannot go ahead as scheduled this year because of the coronavirus outbreak. The IOC says the games will be held “not later than summer 2021” but they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 2020 Olympics delayed Update 8:30 a.m. EDT March 24: The 2020 Olympics, which were scheduled to take place in Japan over the summer, has been postponed for one year due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports. Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Tuesday that he reached an agreement with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach to postpone the Olympics for one year, The Guardian and CNN reported. Olympic committees for Canada and Australia said in recent days that they would not send athletes to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the risk posed by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Coronavirus cases top 390,000 worldwide Update 8:15 a.m. EDT March 24: Newly updated numbers compiled by John Hopkins University shows a rise in cases reported in Spain and Germany, bringing the total number of cases worldwide to 392,331. In Spain, 36,673 COVID-19 cases and 2,696 deaths have been reported, according to the latest figures. In Germany, 30,150 cases have been reported along with 130 deaths. Global coronavirus deaths near 17K, worldwide cases top 387K Update 7:25 a.m. EDT March 24: The global death toll attributed to the novel coronavirus approached 17,000 early Tuesday, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. In the three months since the virus was first identified in Wuhan, China, it has infected at least 387,382 people worldwide and claimed at least 16,767 lives. • Italy has confirmed 63,927 cases, resulting in 6,077 deaths. • The United States has reported 46,450 confirmed cases, resulting in 542 deaths. • Spain has confirmed 35,212 infections, resulting in 2,318 deaths. • Germany has reported 30,081 cases, resulting in 130 deaths. • Iran has recorded 24,811 cases, resulting in 1,934 deaths. • France has confirmed 20,149 infections, resulting in 860 deaths. • Switzerland has confirmed 9,117 cases, resulting in 122 deaths. • South Korea has recorded 9,037 cases, resulting in 120 deaths. • The United Kingdom has reported 6,733 cases, resulting in 335 deaths. • The Netherlands has confirmed 4,767 cases, resulting in 213 deaths. Self-proclaimed virus spreader arrested in Germany for licking subway ticket machine, handrails Update 7:12 a.m. EDT March 24: Authorities in Munich have arrested a German man who posted a video online last week that appears to show him licking the handrail of an escalator and a subway ticket machine, The Washington Post reported. The man, 33, reportedly told police he wanted to spread the novel coronavirus, but it was not immediately clear if he has tested positive for the virus that has caused a global pandemic, the Post reported. Read more here. Thailand declares state of emergency, cites 14-fold coronavirus infection increase in 1 month Update 7:01 a.m. EDT March 24: In a bid to allow the government greater enforcement powers to combat the novel coronavirus, Thailand declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. According to The Associated Press, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s cabinet agreed to the monthlong measure after the nation experienced a 14-fold spike in confirmed cases during the month of March. Prior to March 1, Thailand had reported only 42 confirmed cases, but that figure had increased to more than 800 by Tuesday. Read more here. Spain converts ice rink into temporary morgue to handle coronavirus volume Update 6:33 a.m. EDT March 24: Spain’s regional government announced Monday a Madrid ice rink has been repurposed as a temporary morgue to handle the bodies of COVID-19 victims, CNN reported. Spain’s Emergency Military Unit has already begun delivering some bodies to the Ice Palace in Madrid’s Hortaleza neighborhood. According to a statement sent to CNN, the Madrid city government’s funeral service announced Monday it will stop collecting the bodies of those who die from coronavirus as they are “without sufficient protective material.” The regional government called the move a “temporary and extraordinary measure” taken to “lessen the pain of the families of the victims and the situation that’s being recorded in Madrid’s hospitals.” Spain has now recorded 35,212 novel coronavirus infections, resulting in 2,316 deaths. Hawaii reports its first coronavirus-related death Update 5:31 a.m. EDT March 24: Officials in Hawaii has confirmed the state’s first death related to the novel coronavirus. According to the Hawaii Department of Health, “indirect travel-related exposure” is most likely to blame for the fatality, which occurred on Friday. “All of Hawai‘i expresses condolences to the family of the person who died and shares in grieving their loss. Everyone is encouraged to take care of themselves and their loved ones during these difficult times,’ the department said in a statement. Hawaii has confirmed a total of 77 infections to date. NRA slashes salaries, staff as coronavirus crisis diverts donations Update 5:06 a.m. EDT March 24: The National Rifle Association announced deep cuts to salaries and personnel on Monday as the coronavirus pandemic undercuts donations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Specifically, the organization announced a 20 percent reduction in salaries and said it would lay off an unspecified number of staff. The NRA said in a statement that the virus outbreak had resulted in the cancelation of the nonprofit group’s annual meeting next month, “and caused a major disruption to our fundraising activities,” including Friends of the NRA fundraisers, the Journal reported. Read more here. Amazon rolls out paid time off for all part-time employees amid coronavirus order crunch Update 4:50 a.m. EDT March 24: In response to pressure from warehouse workers’ 2019 calls for change, Amazon.com Inc. has started offering paid time off to all part-time hourly employees throughout its U.S. logistics network, The Wall Street Journal reported. Despite employees’ organizational efforts in Sacramento, Chicago, New York and other high-profile metropolises, the global coronavirus pandemic appears to have been the impetus for the immediate rule change as online orders continue mounting from homebound consumers, the Journal reported. Coronavirus cases spike worldwide as pandemic tightens grip Update 3:52 a.m. EDT March 24: A Monday tweet from a World Health Organization official sugar coated nothing. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, shared the novel coronavirus’ shockingly high infection rate and reminded anyone monitoring the global pandemic that each of these figures reported represents an actual human being. Read the tweet here. With more than 382,000 cases confirmed worldwide – resulting in more than 16,500 fatalities to date – the infection rates in nearly one dozen countries soared during the past 24 hours. CNN offered the following roundup: • United States: More than 100 coronavirus-related deaths – bringing the nationwide total to at least 540 – reported in a single day for the first time since the outbreak began. Of the more than 46,000 known U.S. cases, 21,689 reside in New York. • Canada: On Monday, new cases spiked by nearly one third, bringing the nationwide total to at least 2,000 confirmed cases and 23 deaths. The largest provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have seen the largest spikes in infection activity. • Brazil: According the South American country’s ministry of health, nearly 400 new cases were diagnosed Monday, alone, bringing the nationwide total to 1,891. • Italy: There were 601 new coronavirus-related deaths confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 6,077 amid 63,927 cases nationwide. • Singapore: There were 54 new coronavirus diagnoses reported on Monday, marking the city-state’s largest one-day spike and bringing the nationwide total to 509 infections. • United Kingdom: At least 54 people have died in the United Kingdom from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 335 amid 6,700 total cases. • Spain: The health ministry confirmed the country’s total infections increased by 4,517 between Sunday and Monday, bringing the nationwide total to 33,089. A total of 2,182 people have died, including 462 during the same 24-hour period. • Iran: The country confirmed 1,411 new cases on Monday, bringing the nationwide total to 23,049 infections, resulting in 1,812 deaths to date. Consumers self-isolating from coronavirus boost e-payment demand Update 2:42 a.m. EDT March 24: Homebound shoppers across the globe are fueling a worldwide surge in demand for digital payment services, The Wall Street Journal reported. Stay-at-home orders have forced consumers to rethink their sources for meeting basic needs and fighting boredom – from groceries and prescription drugs to online movies and audiobooks – amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. In turn, many e-payment providers are calling upon contingency plans typically reserved for seasonal bursts of online shopping, such as Black Friday. In Italy, alone, e-commerce transactions have swelled 81 percent since the close of February, the Journal reported citing McKinsey & Co. Read more here. China’s Hubei province to lift coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday Update 2:29 a.m. EDT March 24: Authorities in the original epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic are slated to lift nearly all lockdown restrictions on Wednesday, CNN reported. China’s Hubei province has been widely regarded as ground zero for the global pandemic. Lockdown restrictions are expected to continue in the city of Wuhan, the provincial capital, however, until at least April 8, the network reported. To date, Hubei has confirmed 67,801 coronavirus cases, resulting in 3,160 deaths; however, the province has recorded only one new infection during the past six days. However, the rate of new infections has been brought down significantly — the province has only reported one new infection in the past six days. State-by-state breakdown of 42,663 US coronavirus cases, 541 deaths Update 12:50 a.m. EDT March 24: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 46,000 across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands late Monday night. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, there are at least 46,371 confirmed U.S. cases of the virus, which have resulted in a total of at least 541 deaths. Of the confirmed deaths, 157 have occurred in New York, 110 in Washington state and 34 in Louisiana.  In terms of diagnosed cases, New York remains the hardest hit with nearly 21,000 confirmed cases – more than seven times any other state – followed by New Jersey with 2,844 and Washington with 2,221. Five other states have now reported at least 1,000 novel coronavirus cases, including: • California: 1,733 • Michigan: 1,328 • Illinois: 1,285 • Florida: 1,237 • Louisiana: 1,172 The figures include 21 people aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship and 49 repatriated citizens. The repatriations include 46 sickened aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and three others retrieved from the outbreak’s epicenter in Wuhan, China. The state-by-state breakdown – including presumptive cases – of the 42,597 cases detected on U.S. soil is as follows: • Alabama: 196 • Alaska: 22 • Arizona: 235, including 2 deaths • Arkansas: 197 • California: 1,733, including 32 deaths • Colorado: 591, including 6 deaths • Connecticut: 415, including 10 deaths • Delaware: 87 • District of Columbia: 116, including 2 deaths • Florida: 1,237, including 18 deaths • Georgia: 800, including 26 deaths • Guam: 27, including 1 death • Hawaii: 77 • Idaho: 50 • Illinois: 1,285, including 12 deaths • Indiana: 259, including 7 deaths • Iowa: 105 • Kansas: 82, including 2 deaths • Kentucky: 124, including four deaths • Louisiana: 1,172, including 34 deaths • Maine: 107 • Maryland: 288, including 3 deaths • Massachusetts: 777, including 9 deaths • Michigan: 1,328, including 15 deaths • Minnesota: 235, including 1 death • Mississippi: 249, including 1 death • Missouri: 183, including 3 deaths • Montana: 45 • Nebraska: 50 • Nevada: 245, including 4 deaths • New Hampshire: 101, including 1 death • New Jersey: 2,844, including 27 deaths • New Mexico: 83 • New York: 20,875, including 157 deaths • North Carolina: 297 • North Dakota: 30 • Ohio: 442, including 6 deaths • Oklahoma: 81, including 2 deaths • Oregon: 191, including 5 deaths • Pennsylvania: 644, including 6 deaths • Puerto Rico: 31, including 2 deaths • Rhode Island: 106 • South Carolina: 298, including 5 deaths • South Dakota: 28, including 1 death • Tennessee: 615, including 2 deaths • Texas: 352, including 8 deaths • U.S. Virgin Islands: 17 • Utah: 257, including 1 death • Vermont: 75, including 5 deaths • Virginia: 254, including 6 deaths • Washington: 2,221, including 110 deaths • West Virginia: 16 • Wisconsin: 416, including 5 deaths • Wyoming: 26 The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Remi Gauvin was set to be in Colombia this week for the first round of the Enduro World Series, initially planned for March 28th. Instead, he and fellow enduro racers around the world are stuck in limbo at home, not sure when their season will kick off. We reached out to Gauvin to see what his initial thoughts were when he found out about the race cancellations, his plans for filling his extra time at home, and how he’s staying motivated.

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How were you feeling coming into the 2020 season?

I was feeling pretty damn good. We have had a pretty good winter for riding on coastal BC and my training has been consistent for a majority of the winter and had been ramping up in the weeks leading up to peak for Round 1. We were able to get lots of bike time in Squamish in the last few weeks which allowed us to get the new bike and suspension dialled in and I was looking forward to heading to the races!

What were your first thoughts when you heard that the first two rounds of the EWS are canceled?

At that time just a few weeks ago it was still early days and news of events being cancelled around the world were just being released. So it did come as a surprise when we found out that the first rounds had been postponed until November. My second thought was that I can’t just keep training at the pace I was leading into Round 1. Building the fitness leading into a peak can take a lot of energy and is not sustainable for a long period of time.

And now with the third round in Olargues being postponed?

I guess the fact that we are now tentatively racing in July means that we are now essentially back to being deep in our off-season. Which means there is a lot of time to prepare…

What are you going to be doing instead of racing in the next couple of weeks?

I am probably going to take it easy for the next little bit. At the moment it’s best to stay at home as much as possible. We are lucky to be able to continue to ride our bikes in Squamish. I think now is a great time to work on my own on-bike deficiencies that I might not have had time to address before the first races. Right after we heard that round 1 and 2 were postponed I decided to use some time to work on my van project with my dad. Something that I wouldn’t have felt I had the time for if we were headed to the races.

How are you staying motivated not knowing when the first race will be?

Motivation is definitely lower than it was before all of this, but at the moment I think that it’s a good opportunity to allow and be okay with that fact. In a situation like this, I think it’s pretty normal and good for the mental health to allow these motivational low’s to ride themselves out rather than force your way out of them. For me personally, I usually come out the other end more motivated than ever.

What has and hasn’t changed with your training?

For now, I think we will take a more maintenance focused approach than trying to build a ton of new fitness with no solid end goal. At least for the next few weeks. The next few weeks will be telling for what the next few months might have in store for us.

How are you dealing with changing flights and accommodations?

Luckily my team deals with all of that for me. It’s a nightmare I’m sure.

What are you doing to protect yourself from getting the virus?

Staying away from people as much as possible. Staying home mostly only going out to ride or get the necessities. Riding only riding with the people I am already exposed to like my girlfriend and roommates. I personally, am not too worried about getting it but I will do my part not to be a spreader, and staying healthy is always a positive.