Warrior Insider

Five down, 95 to go.

That’s the approach the freshman class of the Hawaii basketball team is taking.

The four freshmen – Bo Barnes, Jordan Coleman, Bobby Miles and Trevor Wiseman – have been key contributors in the Warriors’ 5-0 start this season.

“I’m a little surprised – most freshmen don’t see this many minutes right away,” said Barnes, who is averaging 12.6 points per game and leads the team with 17 3-pointers. “But if (the coaches) call on me, I’m just going to try to go in there and give all I can.”

Prior to the start of this season, Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold met with the four freshmen and gave them a four-year goal: 100 victories.

“I challenged them that, before they left here, they could leave with 100 victories,” Arnold said. “That’s a very high mark and obviously something that’s going to be very tough to obtain, but I said that’s the way you have to think.”

If the Warriors are to reach 100 wins in the next four season, much will depend on the current freshmen:

• Barnes, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, has scored 63 points through his first five NCAA Division I games. The last Hawaii freshman to open a career with more points was Chris Gaines in 1986. Gaines scored 97 points in his first five games, and still holds the UH freshman season record with 480 points.

Barnes also leads the team with 17 3-pointers, and should shatter the Hawaii record for most 3s by a freshman. Mike McIntyre made 23 3-pointers as a freshman during the 1998-99 season (Gaines made only 19 3s as a freshman).

• Wiseman, a 6-7 forward, has already established a pivotal role on the team as a defensive specialist. The last Hawaii freshman to receive that type of assignment was Phil Martin during the 2000-01 season.

Wiseman is also contributing 3.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

• Miles, a 6-1 point guard, has logged valuable minutes in each game this season as a backup to senior starter Hiram Thompson. The last Hawaii freshman to play key minutes at point guard was Kalia McGee in the 1991-92 season (although it should be noted that Kareem Nitoto was a valuable reserve during the 2007-08 season).

Miles currently ranks second on the team with 13 assists (behind only Thompson’s 19).

• Coleman, a 6-4 shooting guard, has appeared in just one game this season. He is one of the team’s quickest players, and also has the best vertical jump. Once he gains strength, he should be joining his fellow freshmen in the rotation.
“I’m going to play which ever five guys at the time are best for us, regardless of age or anything,” Arnold noted.

It helps that the four freshmen have formed a bond. They all live in the same dorm, and hang out in each other’s rooms often.

“All four of us are pretty close,” Barnes said. “We eat together … hang out, play video games.”

(Photo by Brandon Flores)