Warriors still going strong in Summer League
When Gib Arnold starts clearing the Hawai’i bench in a game this season, maybe he shouldn’t stop at only those wearing a jersey.
Nick Milan, a graduate assistant for the Warriors, showed he hasn’t lost much of his shooting touch from his Kaimuki High days as he helped Solar Universe torch National Fire Protection, 124-78, Thursday night in the Hawai’i College Basketball Summer League at Manoa Recreation Center gym.
Milan and freshman walk-on Dyrbe Enos teamed with incoming junior guard Brandon Spearman to fuel a first half that ended with Solar (4-4) eclipsing Fire, 79-37.
The Warrior trio combined to shoot 9-for-13 from 3-point range in the first half, with each knocking down three 3’s. Milan hit three in a row in one stretch, helping Solar increase a 48-22 lead to 65-29 in less than three minutes.
“I seen Nick in open gym a couple times shooting around, just playing around<" Spearman said. "I didn't know he was shooting like that. He can really get it up." Spearman scored 15 of his 17 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Milan finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Enos contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists as Solar coach Artie Wilson allowed his second unit to play as much or more than the starters. Reserve Nick Demusis (Mililani High/Cypress College) led Solar with 22 points. "I think I'm doing pretty good," Spearman said. "I'm really just playing hard and giving it all I got, that's all ... whatever coach wants me to do, I can do. I just want to win." Warrior freshman Isaac Fotu, a 6-foot-9 post from New Zealand, continued his impressive summer league play. He led Fire (3-4) with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and added eight rebounds and two blocks.
In the night’s first game, former Chaminade standout Leon Ballard scored a game-high 36 points as league-leading Flipbooks Hawaii held off Wealth Strategy, 101-94.
Ex-Kaiser High star Kaunaoa McGee added 19 points for Flipbooks (7-1). UH junior forward Christian Standhardinger did not play for Flipbooks due to a one-game suspension after being ejected in his last game.
UH junior guard Garrett Jefferson scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half to help Wealth (1-7) keep it close. His two free throws with 46.9 seconds left made it 95-90, but Wealth could get no closer. Jefferson, who shot 9 of 17 from the field, ended the game with a reverse jam.
Warrior redshirt freshman Brandon Jawato, making his summer league debut after coming off an ankle injury, added five points for Wealth. His minutes were limited in the second half due to the injury.
WarriorInsider.com file photo courtesy Brandon Flores/www.brandonfloresphotography.com. To view more photos from previous Summer League games, please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/warriorinsider.
Good for Spearman, Fotu, Dybe, and Jefferson. and Milan..
Looks like Spearman and Jefferson could be a good backcourt as well, Jefferson really worked on his offensive game a LOT this offseason, very good Garrett , keep it up…And Brandon Spearman, never knew he had offense out to 3 line..Nice to see Jawato getting some time..
When you think of it, just Enos, Spearman, Jefferson, Fotu and Jawato, would make a very competitive team in summer league by themselves..Like the size of guards, and shooting ability of Harper and Enos as walkons..and think about it…We still haven’t seen a healthy Manroop Clair, as well as Davis and Vander back in the mix along with Christian ..I like Caleb too, he can only get stronger, quicker , better..good shooting touch..
And awaiting possibly one , maybe two more late gets..NCAA clearinghouse! hope they get ONE>.
I like the OFFENSIVE Potential of team..now when they get into Fall camp and go at it DEFENSIVELY, IMO , I think right now they have some talent to get after it full court, traps, etc, they can do damage this year.. and with Fotu, Christian, Vander, Davis, and Caleb..team can have pretty good success..UH MBB team , keep working hard, stay together..you guys will be alright..continue on to get your degrees or NBA lottery pick..well one can dream?!!
And as always Dayton and warrioinsider staff and sponsors..round the clock coverage of UH MBB, really great job..Mahalo plenty!!
Fotu made a couple of plays that surprised me. On each, he gathered a bounce pass at or below his waistline and without any wasted motion completed a layup to score on a break. Not too many freshman post players can make that play, and he did it effortlessly. He continues to impress offensively. Too bad Vander isn’t here; I’d like to see what Fotu can do against an experienced post player with defensive skills.
Agree that Fotu seems quick with good hands in transition..
he also finishes well with options that should hold up against players with size …
————–
Some of the Questions that might not get answered ’til the records count…
As far as Spearman, Jawato and Co., some range was in their history;
the question is can they improve their consistency enough that Game Time (D-1), can they shoot better than their historical 30% break even three point shooters; 33-40% and 45% or better moving inside; [‘Roop and Hauns ‘should’ be alright)];
Can they and Jefferson, maybe Harper, get to the hoop consistently or with the game on the line?
And Can Jace, Clair and Co. move/distribute the ball effectively (enough) that the front line can create enough separation from opponents to withstand those late Big West Shoot-out rallies (the league seems to be built on jump-shooting/penetrating wings — we “should” win the inside 3 or 4 out of five games, but by enough?)
——-
Thanks, WI.com
What’s wrong with this picture?
The University of Hawaii women’s basketball team is playing a nonconference schedule of opponents who had a .628 winning percentage in 2011-12.
The men’s team, meanwhile, has a nonconference schedule that, so far, reflects a .443 winning percentage.
The Rainbow Wahine will play four teams that made the NCAA tournament, including defending national champion Baylor.
The men’s team, awaiting Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic and Bracket Buster pairings and, possibly a backyard Division II foe, has one NCAA Tournament participant, Nevada-Las Vegas, and will likely end up with, at most, two.
The men will ease into their season with the first three regular-season opponents having a collective 28-65 record. The women will leap right in, challenged early by four teams that went a combined 103-36.
Rarely, it seems, have UH’s two basketball teams embarked upon such disparate paths in the same season to prepare for conference play.
As UH works toward its inaugural Big West Conference season in January, the women have to navigate Murderer’s Row and the men negotiate, well, something more akin to Misdemeanor Row to get there.
Read the rest of the article at SB!
Dallan: I think it was DTD who scheduled super tough teams, with intention to prepare her team for Conference play. That murderer’s row, not really Beeman’s fault. With Gib, tie in to ESPN Diamond Head, Bracketbuster, etc. and majority of games in BWC , which is not high RPI conference..am sure that Gib and staff could have, who knows maybe did..however if memory serves correct..even Riley, wanted some big name teams for old Rainbow Classic and to come over for home and home, however, when the UH MBB team was beating Kansas, Indiana, and Michigan St. ..a lot of those teams, felt there was more to lose than to gain by playing Hawaii at Hawaii, if they win, they are supposed to..if they lose, wow the spit hits the fan.,..
The Dukes, North Carolina’s , UCLA’s etc, have their share of opening season cupcakes, teams I did not know even existed..UH MBB, if attain really huge success by winning couple of games in NCAA tourney, maybe they have home and home with the Dukes, North Carolinas etc..I think it is life in the middle of the Pacific..Heck for the UH MBB team, just have to win plenty games and go NCAA several times in a row, and win a game or two..won’t matter, too much,..if you are ticket holder, maybe..goint back to FAB 5 days..had some smaller schools they played back to back nights..after awhile, good teams did not want to come here to play them ..and that was 40 years ago..LIFE in Paradise for MBB!!
I saw the SB article, it is obvious the writer is trying to sell newspapers and cause controversy, that is typically how he writes. It is true the schedule is not very strong at all, but any person that follows men’s NCAA basketball knows that top caliber teams do not travel to play mid-major schools at home. The only way to play these teams is to go on the road, they are not coming to play a non-conference game at UH. I hate to say it but the women’s team is able to draw top caliber teams because those teams are looking at guaranteed wins. Once the women’s team wins a few of those games, those teams will not be traveling to Hawaii any more. A good example of this is Gonzaga. Gonzaga could not get any Top 25 teams to come play them at home, so they went on the road for many years. Now that Gonzaga is a Top 25 year in and year out, they are able to schedule home and homes with some of these teams. Also take a look at Long Beach State, a current Big West member, they have been going on the road as well because they are unable to draw Top 25 teams to play them at home (and they are in California). I myself would like to see the team take an approach similar to Gonzaga and start playing 1 or 2 road games a year to play ACC, Big 12, Pac 12, etc at their house. I think it will give the team some exposure and help in recruiting additonal talent. I’d like to see the SB writer throw out some facts next time instead of just stiring the pot.
Manoa Baller,
this is as much to the true fact as sensibly be.
the public needs to see something like this in the response of Ferd’s colume,
shown him that there are intelligent people out there, too!
Mahalo!
n2o4joy, thanks. You are right. I posted it on his blog.
Manoa Baller,
wow, that’s what I call fast service!
one of the electronic marvels provided by WI+.
anyone else has the courage to follow Manoa’s leader ship?
sincere appreciations.
Manoa Baller ,n2o4joy:
Ferd is like Point/Counterpoint or , Ferd, I don’t know what he trying to do, sell papers, the real fans that know UH hoops and knew Red and Riley, Larry, Bruce, Frank, Bob and now Gib know already that having even 3 or 4 top 25 teams to come to Hawaii is very tough sell, especially as UH MBB gets stronger teams..Thanks Manoa Baller, you are right on, yeah , I can comment on Ferd’s blog, he was the one starting the sinking ship UH MBB thing, the Vandergate, now scheduling conflict..n2o4joy, if Ferd doesn’t stir up something, nothing for him to write about..all Gib and staff and team have to do, WIN consistently, win conference tourney championships and go dancing in the NCAA every year for several years..and Manoa Baller, another poster alluded to that scenario too, schedule the PAC 12 lower level schools, lot of local connection and ex Hawaii residents in Cali and Pacific Northwest, as well as playing Gonzaga on a regular basis, or a Butler, or a couple of SEC, Big East, ACC teams at their house..doesn’t have to be 10 games against top 40 teams, that would be killer, esp, on road, however, if Gib and team can go, as some mid major, and even low major teams have upset UNC, UCLA, etc at their home courts,, that would be the goal..then UH could be more creative with scheduling..however, double edged sword, now Hawaii is the beast of Pacific and NCAA tourney regulars..the Big boys more scared..ah, who cares..Gib just win, retain players, and be happy and keep team happy, and we the fans support the guys and UH.!!
i think Ferd “comparing” men’s and women’s schedules is about as deep (shallow) as his “Athletic Department running another ‘Negative’ Budget Year” OR “Season Ticket RENEWALS Fall for the Fifth Straight Year”…Of Course because the only way you get 100% Renewals is IF No One Dies, Moves to Another State (Transfers!!!), Suffers the Need for Long Term Care, Loses a Job or Cuts Back the Family Budget OR Any of Life’s many Calamities …
I think it would be far more thoughtful and thought provoking to actually suggest a few solutions or help to explain Why it is the way it is… as if the coaches don’t have enough trouble just ‘filling up’ the schedule, much less getting who they want and where…
—————
Some of My Thoughts on the scheduling, (besides agreeing with most above):
I thought DTD was crazy to schedule so many “losses” — yes, you can go overboard in trying “to be your best by playing the best” and it does increase the odds that you have a hot game against a team that has an off day or takes you too lightly (always a risk in basketball), but it also accelerates the odds you get fired for ‘not having a winning record’… i think some of the smartest scheduling usually covers the spectrum and includes a (large?, like Fab Five?) number of ‘will-win’ games that help build skills & confidence while earning wins, a good number of 50-50 games that help you gauge team progress, and a number of Top 20, Top 50, Top 100 games that also help you gauge team progress and help players to learn ‘Championship’ Levels of Intensity, Focus, Defense…
…and i think the program is trying to build toward this type of balanced schedule… WIN in the DH Tourney and you start to build your schedule…get into more Tourneys that have that built in “Leveler”
…Strength of Schedule and Win Incentives are built into the coaches contracts…
Are Readers Really That Shallow that it sells papers?
Mahalo Eagle, once again, objective, realistic and fair observations. Hey UH Athletics teams and coaches trying best they can. What else can we expect. Hope for the best. And you are right, a column like Ferd’s, I really think he is a good writer, however, offer solutions or talk , communicate with the UH MBB staff to see why schedule that way. Good thoughts, and thank you Eagle, Manoa Baller, and n2o4joy. We all want UH athletic teams to be successful!!