Warrior Insider

One win could do wonders for the Hawaii basketball team right now.

The Warriors will host Boise State at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night in a Western Athletic Conference game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

A victory over the Broncos would end the longest losing streak of the season for the Warriors, and more importantly, help them climb out of the bottom of the WAC standings.

But it’s not going to be easy. Hawaii is 9-6 overall and 0-3 in the WAC after a taxing 59-44 home loss to Idaho on Thursday.

“I barely slept (Thursday) night,” senior forward Bill Amis said. “I couldn’t believe that happened. That was one of the worst games I’ve played and we’ve played in a while.

“We’re all real motivated to come out and play like we know we can and play like how we are.”

Boise State is 10-5 and on top of the WAC at 3-0 after a thrilling 102-101 four-overtime win at San Jose State on Thursday. The Broncos lead the WAC in scoring offense with 76.9 points per game.

“They are a team who likes to run, they push the ball hard in transition,” said Hawaii assistant coach Walter Roese, who scouted the Broncos. “Their guards love to attack the basket and paint.”

Interestingly enough, both teams are being run by first-year coaching staffs, which adds an element of the unknown. Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold said there will be some strategic changes made after the Warriors’ dismal offensive performance in their last game.

Boise State head coach Leon Rice and his staff are also new to the WAC, but the Broncos have already earned conference wins over New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and San Jose State.

While the Boise State coaching staff is new, a quartet of seniors has led the Broncos to their fast start.

Robert Arnold, a 6-6 forward, is averaging 15.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game; La’shard Anderson, a 6-1 point guard, is averaging 13.6 points and a WAC-best 5.3 assists per game; Paul Noonan, a 6-7 forward is averaging 10.4 points per game and leads the team with a .439 percentage from 3-point range; Daequon Montreal, a 6-8 forward, is contributing 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Hawaii’s leading scorer is junior guard Zane Johnson, who is averaging 14.3 points per game, and leads the WAC with 43 3-pointers. Amis is averaging 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, senior point guard Hiram Thompson is averaging 12.2 points and 3.3 assists per game, and sophomore forward Joston Thomas is contributing 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.