Warrior Insider

Pi’i Minns doesn’t mind that he won’t play a single minute or score a single point this season for the Hawaii basketball team.

Officially, he can’t. As a transfer from Chaminade prior to this semester, he must sit out the 2010-11 season as a redshirt for the Warriors.

And that’s just fine with him.

“This year is big for me,” he said. “Redshirt year is a beautiful thing. Just work on my body, work on getting bigger, faster, stronger. Just be there for the team, when I get my chance, push guys in practice.”

Minns has been doing just that, serving as a member of the scout team in practices this season. With the recent departures of two players as well as injuries to others, Minns’ role has increased in recent practices.

“In preseason I was competing with all the guys,” he said. “Now it’s regular season, so the guys who have to play in games need to get reps, so I don’t want to steal any time from them in practice. I just want to help the team get better, so I do what I have to do.”

Minns, a 6-foot-3 wing player, has even spent practice time working with the “bigs” due to a lack of bodies at the power forward and center positions.

Being an all-around talent is something he also had to do as a high school player, when he led Kamehameha Schools (Kapalama) to the state championship in 2009. He was named the state player of the year that season, and accepted a scholarship to Chaminade.

A shoulder injury kept him sidelined for the Silverswords last season. After Gib Arnold was named new Hawaii head coach, Minns asked to transfer, even though he had to walk-on as a non-scholarship player.

Until Punahou graduate Miah Ostrowski was added to the roster this week, Minns was the only Hawaii-raised player on the team. As such, he often played tour guide and pidgin interpreter for his teammates.

“To be a local boy and play (college) basketball is a rare thing from this state,” he said. “It was different being the only local guy and having to answer all the questions, but it’s cool.”