Warriors picked ninth in WAC preaseason polls
The Hawaii men’s basketball team already has its source of motivation for the 2010-11 season.
The Warriors were picked to finish last in the nine-team Western Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches and media polls released on Tuesday, Oct. 19.
“We were expecting to be there,” first-year Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold said. “We have the fewest amount of points and rebounds returning among the teams in the WAC, so people don’t know who we are or what we have.”
Utah State was picked to finish first by both the coaches and media. New Mexico State and Nevada were second and third, respectively, in both polls.
Hawaii has 10 new players on its roster this season, including four true freshman and five sophomores.
Hawaii finished in ninth place in the WAC last season at 3-13 (10-20 overall). The only returning player who saw significant playing time last season is senior point guard Hiram Thompson. Senior forward Bill Amis was a starter during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, but he redshirted last season due to a foot injury.
Hawaii also did not have any players named to the Preseason All-WAC teams.
“We’re young and we’re still learning,” Arnold said. “But we don’t look at it as a negative thing. We’re going to take this (poll) and build on it, use it as a form of motivation to get better every day.”
| 2010-11 Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Teams (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Utah State (8) | 64 |
| 2. | New Mexico State (1) | 55 |
| 3. | Nevada | 47 |
| 4. (tie) | Boise State | 36 |
| 4. (tie) | Fresno State | 36 |
| 6. | San Jose State | 32 |
| 7. | Louisiana Tech | 24 |
| 8. | Idaho | 19 |
| 9. | Hawai‘i | 11 |
| 2010-11 Preseason Coaches All-WAC Teams | |
|---|---|
| First Team | Second Team |
| Troy Gillenwater, Jr., F, New Mexico State | Olu Ashaolu, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech |
| Wendell McKines, Sr., F, New Mexico State | Nate Bendall, Sr., F, Utah State |
| Adrian Oliver, Sr., G, San Jose State | Daequon Montreal, Sr., F, Boise State |
| Greg Smith, So., C, Fresno State | Tyler Newbold, Sr., G, Utah State |
| Tai Wesley, Sr., F, Utah State | Pooh Williams, Sr., G/F, Utah State |
| Player of the Year: Tai Wesley, Utah State | |
| 2010-11 Preseason Men’s Basketball Media Poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Teams (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Utah State (19) | 259 |
| 2. | New Mexico State (8) | 237 |
| 3. | Nevada (2) | 190 |
| 4. | San Jose State (1) | 135 |
| 5. | Fresno State | 133 |
| 6. | Boise State | 129 |
| 7. | Louisiana Tech | 116 |
| 8. | Idaho | 78 |
| 9. | Hawai‘i | 73 |
| 2010-11 Preseason Media All-WAC Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Team | ||
| Troy Gillenwater, Jr., F, New Mexico State | ||
| Wendell McKines, Sr., F, New Mexico State | ||
| Adrian Oliver, Sr., G, San Jose State | ||
| Greg Smith, So., C, Fresno State | ||
| Tai Wesley, Sr., F, Utah State | ||
| Player of the Year: Adrian Oliver, San Jose State | ||
| Newcomer of the Year: Brockeith Pane, Jr., G, Utah State | ||
Underdogs from the get go. I love it. I gotta feeling that whether or not we win any games, we will proud of how hard our players play and coaches coach.
What else were we supposed to be ranked? New staff taking over a nightmare three year stretch of a what had become a joke of a program; only three (?) returnees (only one of whom is a starter); a slew of under-the-radar recruits from various regions; we were last place last year; not hard for voters to rank us last.
Itʻs like gardening. Each program is a garden, and the preseason is all about looking over the fence at what everyoneʻs got.
With Wallace, he was able to transplant already grown plants and patch a garden together. It looked decent from the fence, and was a serviceable garden but with marginal yield. It worked when the transplants were producing, but when they didnʻt there werenʻt many growing plants left to fall back on.
With Nash, his main seed/plant buyer (Wheeler) looked like he either a) mailed it in or b) showed up late to the plant sale and was only able to cobble together what was left. From the fence, it looked like Boo Radleyʻs yard – dying plants with no signs of growth.
I went to Arbor Day two years ago, where they give away a free plant. I was one of the last oneʻs there and managed to grab the last plant. Initially I was happy I had a plant at all, since everyone behind me left empty handed. Over time, however, the plant hasnʻt grown despite constant care and attention. It hasnʻt died either, but I realize now why the arborist shrugged when I asked about the plantʻs benefits.
Today from the fence, thereʻs not much to see but seedlings and saplings; the difference is, the soilʻs richer, the gardenʻs tended to and organized to bear fruit in a logical progression, and it exudes what all healthy young gardens should: promise.