James Daniel Bolla Jr. (March 27, 1952October 21, 2022) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach. He was the head women's basketball coach at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

from 1982 to 1996, with his 300 games won the most in the team's history.

Early life and education

Born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Bolla graduated from Bishop Canevin High School in 1970. He played college basketball at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

from 1971 to 1975 and was the starting

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

from 1973 to 1975. The 1974 team was ranked at 10th in the nation, and featured a school record 22-game winning streak. The Panthers advanced to the Elite Eight of the 1974 NCAA tournament. Bolla graduated in August 1976 with a degree in physical education.

Coaching career

From 1975 to 1977, Bolla was a volunteer assistant coach for Pittsburgh men's basketball. He was promoted to graduate assistant in 1977 and full assistant in 1978. In the 1979–80 season, Bolla moved to the Pittsburgh women's basketball program to be an assistant coach. Bolla joined

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

in 1981 as an assistant coach, then was head coach from 1982 to 1996. In those 14 years, Bolla had a 300–120 (.714) record, including seven NCAA tournament appearances and 11 seasons with 20 or more wins. His 300 wins with the team were the most by a UNLV women's basketball coach at the time of his death, while his 71.4 winning percentage was second to Dan Ayala. During the 1989–90 season, UNLV moved to second in the nation, the highest ranking in school history. That team finished with a 28–3 record, the best mark in school history. He is a three-time

Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacifi ...

coach of the year award winner, because of his work at UNLV. He coached six all-Americans, three Big West player of the year winners, and 24 all-conference selections. UNLV won seven Big West titles under his leadership. From 2004 to 2009, Bolla was head coach at

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

before being fired for cause on April 6, 2009. The firing followed accusations of verbal and physical abuse from players.

Career outside coaching

In the 1980–81 season, Bolla was a photographer for the Eastern Eight (now

Atlantic 10 The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

) Conference. From 1996 to 2001, Bolla was director of athletic development at UNLV. In that position, he was in charge of fundraising for the athletic department. Bolla secured a $3.1 million gift for the softball and golf programs among nearly $5 million he helped raise. Bolla went into private business after UNLV declined to renew his contract. In 2015, Bolla began co-hosting a daily sports talk show on

KDWN KDWN (720 AM) is a commercial radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc.. The station pronounces its call letters as "K-Dawn." The station's studios are located in the unincorporated Clark County area of Spring Vall ...

radio in Las Vegas, ''Coaches' Corner'' with his friend, longtime NVHOF Las Vegas sportscaster Rich Perez, and later with former Raider Greg Townsend.

Personal life

Bolla was married to Dallas Boychuk. They later divorced just prior to his death. Together, they had one daughter, Sasha. Previously, Bolla was married to Sheila Strike, who was co-head coach with him at UNLV. He resided in Las Vegas during his later years. Bolla was diagnosed with cancer in August 2017. He died on the evening of October 21, 2022, at the age of 70.

Head coaching record

Sources:

References

External links

*
Hawaii bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolla, Jim 1952 births 2022 deaths American men's basketball players American sports radio personalities American women's basketball coaches Basketball players from Pittsburgh Centers (basketball) Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball coaches Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball coaches Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball coaches UNLV Lady Rebels basketball coaches