Word around campus has it that two guards the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team prizes were on recruiting visits over the weekend.

Presumably, Bob Nash told them he plans to be around as head coach for a while.

Now, it would be nice if somebody else told them — and us — the same thing.

Somebody, for example, such as Nash's boss, UH athletic director Jim Donovan.

Donovan is scheduled to return to work today after a 10-day vacation and he will find a desk full of pressing business waiting. Foremost being the issue of women's basketball coach Jim Bolla's status now that the report by the school's Office of Human Resources has been out a couple weeks.

But somewhere near the top of the pile should be a declaration on the status of Nash, too. Especially since it will take the involvement of fewer lawyers to do so.

Since March 10, the end of a disappointing 13-17 season, Nash's second since succeeding Riley Wallace, we've been waiting for an announcement of UH's intention.

Nash enters the third and final year of his original contract on April 30 and if you are a recruit chances are you'd like to know who will be doing the coaching here. More than likely schools that recruit against UH will be bringing up the topic.

With UH, which returns all its starters and needs only a couple of pieces to enhance its prospects, in the stretch run of recruiting and national letter of intent day April 15, there is no time like the present to bring some clarity to the coaching situation.

That is what was missing two years ago when Nash was given the job two days after national letter of intent day. Had the job been his well in advance as it should have been you wonder if the talent level of the last two UH teams might have been better. And their records improved.

We'll never know, for example, if Gary Wilkinson, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward UH had been pursuing from Salt Lake Community College, where it had some previous success, would have ended up in Manoa. Wilkinson wound up at Utah State and he was named this season's Western Athletic Conference player of the year.

Perhaps Donovan has to run his decision up to the UH hierarchy. Maybe Nash, or his representative, has yet to sign off on whatever their negotiations with Donovan have produced.

But there is no margin in delaying an announcement of where Nash stands and what UH wants to do about it.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.