University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

Following a championship debut, James Robinson returns for his second year as head coach of the University of Hawai‘i women’s water polo program.

Robinson earned Big West Coach of the Year honors after leading the Rainbow Wahine to the 2025 conference regular season and championship titles in his inaugural season. The 'Bows advanced to the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship semifinals for the second straight year before closing the season at 22-5. UH's .815 winning percentage was the highest under a first-year head coach in program history.
 
Robinson served as UH associate head coach for two years and was selected to succeed Maureen Cole, who completed her 13-year run as Rainbow Wahine head coach following a historic 2024 season.
 
Robinson joined the UH staff in 2022 and the Rainbow Wahine went 44-10 in his two seasons as associate head coach and reached the semifinals of the Women’s National Collegiate Water Polo Championship in 2024. His efforts were recognized by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches, which named him the 2024 Women’s Assistant/Associate Coach of the Year.
 
Robinson is the fourth head coach to lead the Rainbow Wahine since the UH water polo program made its debut in 1998, following in the line of Shari Smart (1998-2002), Michel Roy (2003-11) and Cole (2012-24).
 
Robinson is a graduate of UCLA and was a member of three national championship teams with the Bruins (2014, '15 and '17). He played professionally with the Hunter Hurricanes in Australia and began his coaching career in 2018, working at both the club and high school levels in New Zealand.
 
He returned to UCLA in 2019 as an assistant coach with the Bruins women's team and helped the program compile a 58-13 record during his three seasons back in Westwood.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

• Hawai‘i, Head Coach (2025-present)
• Hawai‘i, Associate Coach (2022-24)
• UCLA, Assistant Coach (2019-2022) 
• Sacred Heart (New Zealand), Assistant Coach (2018)
• Seawolf Water Polo Club (2018) 

• Played for UCLA from 2013-2017 and was a part of three NCAA championship-winning teams (2014, 2015, 2017). 
• As a coach, made it to the NCAA finals with the UCLA women's team in 2021

• Palos Verdes Estates, CA

• UCLA (2017)