Warrior Insider

The return of Bill Amis to the Hawaii basketball team could come sooner rather than later.

Amis was able to practice with the team on Monday – his first action since a stress fracture was discovered in his right foot on Nov. 20. He did not participate in some of the contact drills, but the fact that he could put on a practice jersey – and two shoes – was a victory in itself.

“It just feels good to be back out here with the guys working out again,” he said. “The foot feels fine.”

When the injury was revealed, Amis and head coach Gib Arnold thought it would be at least a month before he could return. But after yesterday’s workout, there is optimism that Amis could get some game minutes this Friday when the Warriors play Chicago State at the Lahaina Civic Center on Maui.

“That’s the goal right now, is to get some minutes on Friday,” Amis said. “Probably not going to go on it too hard. Just trying to get rhythm back for Diamond Head (Classic).”

As a safety precaution, Amis will continue to wear a protective boot on his right foot when he is not playing basketball.

“I need to invest in some left shoes,” he said with a laugh. “Doctor said I have to wear the boot the rest of the year, but I’m used to it.”

Amis, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, played the first four games of the season, and has missed the last four due to the injury. He remains the team’s leading scorer and rebounder with 15.8 points and 6.8 boards per game.

By the end of this week, Amis will also be the team’s only graduate student. He is completing his final exams this week to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. Whether he plays or not on Friday, Amis said he will participate in UH’s graduation ceremony on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

“Yeah, I’ll be walking,” he said. “I’ll have a boot on, but I’ll be walking.”