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Behind the introductions

The fun starts for the Hawaii basketball team before the game begins.

Several Warriors are taking advantage of their starting positions by performing hand-slapping routines when they are introduced before the game.

“You always have to have a pre-game ritual,” freshman forward Trevor Wiseman said. “You go out there for the crowd, and it’s fun.”

Prior to the last game against Portland, Wiseman feigned swinging a baseball bat and hitting a home run after his name was announced.

Jace Tavita, who joined the team in December and is redshirting this season, has been coming up with several of the ideas. He “threw the pitch” for Wiseman’s home run.

“These dudes, they just wanted to liven it up, so they asked me for a little handshake,” Tavita said. “It’s just fun, to get these guys ready to go.”

When sophomore center Vander Joaquim is introduced, Tavita pretends to perform a “security check.”

“He’s so big, gotta make sure he ain’t got no weapons on him,” Tavita said.

They’ll get to do it for the home fans one more time on Saturday, when the Warriors host San Francisco in a second-round game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

Tavita, who will be eligible to play in December of next season, said he will try to coordinate “a team thing” next season. “We can think of something over the summer,” he said. “We have a lot of time.”

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