Warriors return to Irvine for intense practice
IRVINE, Calif. – It was almost like returning to the scene of a crime. Less than 24 hours after the Hawai’i basketball team had a potential victory snatched from its grasp, the Warriors conducted an afternoon practice at the Bren Events Center.
UC Irvine defeated the Warriors, 68-64, in that same arena on Wednesday night. Hawai’i will play at Long Beach State on Saturday, but the facilities on the Long Beach campus were unavailable on Thursday.
“Long Beach State wasn’t able or didn’t give us gym time two days out, (but) we do have gym time there (Friday),” head coach Gib Arnold said. “Being here a couple days early, Irvine was gracious enough to let us come back and use their practice facility … actually their gym.”
In the loss to Irvine on Wednesday, the Warriors committed 17 turnovers, including several unforced errors. On Thursday, there was a price to pay.
The Warriors spent much of the two-hour practice working on ball security and crisp passes. Every player who committed a turnover during the practice had to run up and down the stairs inside the Bren Center.
“We worked on a little bit of Long Beach State, but mostly on ourselves,” Arnold said. “We worked on being strong with the ball and some of our defensive stuff as well. I thought it was a great practice, quite honestly. I thought it was one of the best ones we’ve had … I was pleased how the guys bounced back after a tough loss.”
The defensive drills were also intense, especially after Arnold declared that he was “looking for Warriors who want to play on Saturday.”
Junior forward Christian Standhardinger said: “We lost (Wednesday) and we were all bothered by that fact and that’s a good thing. We went hard against each other, we competed and we played tough, and that’s exactly what we need in the next game.”
The Warriors are 9-6 overall and 3-1 in the Big West. Thanks to a UC Davis victory over Cal Poly on Thursday night, the Warriors are still in a three-way tie for first place (Long Beach State and Cal Poly are also 3-1).
“We were 3-0 and I think we might have got a little too confident about ourselves and this loss kind of put us back to the ground and I think that’s what we needed,” junior forward Davis Rozitis said. “We came back, we had a great practice and we hope to rebound against Long Beach on Saturday.”
The Warriors are scheduled to practice in The Walter Pyramid on Friday afternoon, and Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. (Hawai’i time).
A good positive of Big West Play for UH. No real fatigue factor. On Sat. UH in Cali for about 6 days, just shy of a week. Have two good practice days to get ready. UHA, you are right, in fact this whole forum, and Gib and team know, they win the turnover battle, 12 or less, and shoot in the mid to high 40 per cent from field and continue very good FT shooting from first minute to last, I think, in my opinion, the Big West , UH can play with any team, at home or on the road. Just have to clean up the turnover situation.
You are right , the execution, when Jace running show in first half, was great, they looked like a Big West title contender. Big factor, UH , I don’t think they will get blown out. They (i.e. UNLV game second half performance effort)look like they can match big for big against LBSU and need that perimeter production. Should be a great game. One game at a time guys, improve.
Quote from previous post from “Dallan”, might be a beach guy? Waikiki, or Huntington, just joking D.
He stated: “Sorry but Warriors can not beat LB State on their best day! Poor coaching decisions and inexperienced guards! Mahalo.”
My reply: “Dallan,
“You might be right. However, if UH cleans up turnover situation, shoots much better inside and out, LBSU, is not undefeated in regular season or in 4 games in conference. So, LBSU can be beat, they have lost about 7 or 8 games already.
Look for UH to give one of their better performances this game. I think Big West officiating crew, let the guys play, which is good, gives UH Bigs and smalls chance on road or at home. Hauns has to be a factor, so does Manroop, I think Gib will use whomever and any number of players to get win.
If Hawaii, shoots well, and limits turnovers as UHA said, which is a truism, 12 or less, and close out a game they are leading in last 5 min, Hawaii wins. Roll the ball out, jump ball, control game and pace, equals(with a Poly loss or two)= First Place.
We all want UH to get at least split, and these guys, such great character, great students, and good guys, are working their butts off to get it done. If not this Sat with a big win at a beatable Beach. Well, UH will beat the Beach in the Big West Tourney. At this point: UH, Go For Broke!”
P.S. thanks DM, great update. Coaches going to work ,and I sincerely believe UH has chance, if cut down turnovers and shoot well, to beat the Beach at the Pyramid, would be huge to come back to Hawaii with a 1-1 split, and either tied or in sole possession of first, if Poly loses a couple!
Gib good. In last post, alluded to that, drill specific. Taking care of the ball on offense, 101, that ball is mine! ball is mine!, We have been doing that since we were 1 or 2 years old. No one takes away that ball!. UH team are “One through Twelve”, the Terrific Twelve. they want this win, Guys secure ball, limit as UHA says to 12 or even 10, slow, down if half to, shoot well from Field and FT line, and close out game.
Go into game with attitude. We starting a new 3 game win streak, play with attitude, energy, effort, and ONE more big one, which you guys have or can still develop, which I love about this Team of great guys: HEART=the Heart of a Champion.
Now go out and get the W. Several thousand , the hard core of us 4500 to 5000 who come out to every SSC game got your backs. Will listen, if , I don’t know why, maybe post later, Big West TV not showing game on schedule, wish they would put it on, could be and will be a good one!!
Okay guys, let’s focus on tomorrow night’s game. We got good talent on this team but, we gotta learn to finish the game. Play smart and TAKE CARE OF THE BALL!!!
Go Warriors!!!
Christian Mom teaches son to be positive , it’s wonderful
as they say here if life gives you lemons make lemonade
Hello to all moms dads, families, and fans
Stay positive let us believe in our great boys
Even top teams in the NBA sometimes lose match
most important is that every defeat is learning and you guys just keep getting better and better
All the guys who gave interview after his match said that anyone can get off the bench and score a lot of points, which indicates that one of the other are respected
All the guys were great in every aspect
All the guys working hard
All the guys are certainly much more sad when they lose than anyone else but rise and go forward
I believe in their success because they have everything you need to achieve it
Give them all the credit because the speed at which they become better is a great
It takes time and experience to learn to play together
I believe that coaches are working hard and are looking for an ideal combination, and I want them to succeed at it as soon as possible
Free throws and shot all the better but needs to work on
pass the ball, because it will reduce turnovers
I wish you guys a great first win on the road on tomorrow night’s game
O-Mum,
those are good comments. Gib and young team, the whole team work in progress. From Vander to Ozren.
And this site is for fans, parents, and future recuruits. We all hope, fellow UH students, that UH gets better and can be a Big West Champ.
Bottom line, if not for all of them turnovers..UH had the game won.
Love Rozitis’ hussle up and down the court for a big man. Vander, hold your head up and make like you are excited to be on the floor to win. You are still a big factor, but body language affects team spirit. imop.
Significantly Reduce Turnover MARGIN
FORCE More Opposition Turnovers/STOPS
Take Control of First and Last 3-5 Minutes Each Half
Challenge those “Short Guards” Driving to the Basket
Make “EASY” Passes
IMPROVE FG % (Already Taking Good Shots)
Make FINISH Lay-ups & Gimme Five-Footers (Keep Your Eyes on the Basket)
(John Wooden had his Teams Practice/Hit “100%” of All Five Footers)
TAKE Open Shots Earlier BEFORE They Force of Luck Out with Turnovers
It appears , that every practice, should be ball handling. Passing ball. Working together. Basic Basketball fundamentals. Team doesn’t have super duper PG or PG’s , so whomever handling ball, and making passes in game, has to be spot on.
If 2 hour practices, that is all they do, ball handle, passing, ball handling drills, passing, repetition. Forget the shooting, shooting, practice on their own, before after practice. Ball handling, passing drills, Take care of the ball, have solid 7 or 8 man rotation.
O-Mum said, true, Pass, ball more effective than dribble sometimes, yet pass, has to be right angles, timing, guys don’t seem to be on same page, especially in crunch time. UH has 14 more Big West conference games to get it straightened out, limit turnovers, make GOOD passes.
Guys, receiving ball, make good targets. and Hauns, as captain, take control, Hauns YOU can do other things then shoot 3, help with Ball handling, making correct passes, and rebound and timely Defense. Don’t have to wait to last 3 games of season, Hauns, a lot of UH BB fans are hoping, stay positive , Hauns we need you now!
Ok Warriors , you guys should have won the last game, now Long Beach St , hopefully a Win will happen, very possible, you can claim to be the guys who broke their home win streak at the Pyramid, a 50/50 split on the road is a must to make it to post season . So limit your turnovers and shoot lights out cause its Warrior Time!!!!!
Anybody know if the game is on TV or streaming?
Saturday
This team, now 15 games in to the record books is what it is. And what they are are a fair to average group of guards. Sometimes, they are good, most times turnover prone against teams with very good guards. That’s what they are, period. It ain’t gonna chance. Other guys, the front line too, make turnovers too. So, I beg to differ that the turnovers was the reason why we lost to Irvine. Yeah, in crunch time we made some bad mistakes by Ozi, Tavita, etc. but some of that is bad coaching too. The main thing, to me, is the simple truth that you have to make shots. What did the team shoot, 35%. That’s not going to do it on the road and it probably is not going to do it at home. Shoot 50% against Irvine and I say Hawaii would have won by at least double digits. Even shooting 42 to 45% Hawaii would have won by at least 3-5 points. Vander was 7-9. Spearman had his moments. Shoot 35% at Long Beach and we’ll get blown out. Can’t do that. Gotta make shots. Gotta convert the one and one to get extra free throws. Look at all the college basketball games. I guarantee you the team that shoots the ball better wins more than they lose. That’s the beauty of basketball, putting the ball into the hoop. Simple. As Alan Iverson would say, back to practice, practice, practice. If Hawaii shoots 50% on Saturday, I like our chances. When you shoot the ball well on the road, you put the pressure on the home team to respond. If you don’t shoot the ball well, the home team are like sharks smelling blood. They get energized and the crowd gets into it. Make shots and the crowd goes down.
Amen Derek!
Let’s go Warriors! If Long Beach was a pre-season #1 pick lets see where we stand tomorrow.
I’m going all in for our boys.
I’m not too confident at this point, but we’ll see what happens. We haven’t closed the deal on the road yet so until we do, you can’t be certain. Don’t bet the house! Two words to live by on a basketball team. One is “shots” and two “stops”. We will make turnovers, Long Beach will make turnovers too. What team does the better jobs in making “shots” and making “stops”. LBSU Coach Don Monson is a good coach. Used to be the Head Coach at Gonzaga before. Riley Wallace’s UH team beat Gonzaga coached by Don Monson in Honolulu. Well, we don’t have Riley anymore, so I hope Gib Arnold will coach better. Go back to starting Vander, Fotu, Christian, Hauns, and Manroop. Spearman, and Jawato first two from the bench, followed by Jefferson, Davis, Jace, and Ozren. We need some hot hands, guys! Just bombs away with confidence.
Talking about Riley, I saw him at the California Hotel in Vegas on Monday. Nice guy.
ONE Philosophical/MAJOR Difference…
They BETTER Change!
IF NOT, THAT IS BAD Coaching!
Coaching Should Get More of the Behaviours you DO Want and Less of the ones you don’t
(sometimes that’s by changing players, long-term, it includes teaching concepts, even skills)
MOST of the Freshmen are Significantly DIFFERENT Players/Performers than they were Five or Ten games ago
Unfortunately the Upperclassmen are Not Improving as Fast, Some, maybe not much At All…
(Backsliding, Dropping into a Funk, Depression, Uncertainty, Loss of Performance Can be Expected with EVERY Change)
How Fast they work through them is a Big Part of Coaching, Practice & Improving…
ALL THAT Said,
TODAY is The First Major Battle in Establishing League Dominance, so to speak “King of the Hill”
i Hope the Smarter TEAM WINS…