Quotes from the coaches
The Big West Conference hosted a coaches teleconference on Monday, in preparation for this week’s BWC Tournament at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Here are some quotes from Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold and UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner …
Gib Arnold on a third game with UC Irvine this season:
“I thought we matched up well with them during the season. Two close games, both of them. I thought we handled the pressure well at our place, not quite as well there. We had a couple of turnovers down the stretch at their place that hurt us.”
Gib Arnold on the tournament field:
“I think it’s wide open. There won’t be a surprise winner of any game, I think. These teams are very, very evenly matched, and I don’t think the seeding matters at all. I think everybody has a legit shot now.”
Gib Arnold on the team’s injury situation:
“We’re going to have to alter a few things. I felt that (Brandon) Spearman’s absence did hurt us these last couple of games against really good guard-oriented teams. We have to make sure that some of the younger guys are ready and ready to go in this tournament. Get them in early and give them some minutes so that they can have some confidence down the stretch.”
Gib Arnold on Hawai’i’s size:
“Our bigs have been real consistent all year. We’re a very good rebounding team and they can score it around the basket. That’s really helped us stay in games … I know that’s our strength. I agree you have to have great guards, but you have to get that ball off the rim and put it in the hole and that’s what our bigs can do … I hope our size and strength can wear people down in this tournament, and that our guards can get hot and knock down some shots from the outside as well.”
Gib Arnold on Isaac Fotu:
“He’s a very unselfish player. He leads the league in percentage shooting, and I actually want him to shoot more … at times we have to beg him to be more aggressive. I think that’s going to continue to come along to where he’s going to become our go-to guy. He’s extremely talented for his size and I really like how he’s come along.”
Russell Turner on the tournament field:
“I do think the tournament is open. That’s taking nothing away from Long Beach, who should be the favorite because they were able to consistently win at a better rate than everyone else.”
Russell Turner on playing Hawaii for a third time this season:
“They’re a good team, they’re well coached. I respect these guys. We played two close games with them. Fortunate probably to win here (in Irvine) when we did. We came back late in that game to finish strong and win it. They’ve got talent across the board on that team. They got a couple of guys who are capable of huge games.”
Russell Turner on the close finishes in the previous two games:
“Same thing. It’ll be a close game. It’ll be a game that comes down to the wire, probably decided by a play or two here or there. That’s the fun part of tournament basketball in March.”
Russell Turner on playing so close to home:
“I don’t think any (advantage). The game here (in Irvine) was really close. Hawai’i’s good and this is a different kind of road trip, too. I don’t think there’s an advantage either way.
I know Hawai’i’s fans are outstanding and will likely travel … I think they’ll have good support and we’ll have good support from the Irvine folks and I expect it to be a good match-up in a neutral place.”
All the very best Warriors. We will be tuning in from Aotearoa and no doubt all around the globe from Australia to Latvia, Canada, and Mainland USA. Get the W.
Play hard, play smart and play with heart. Go for the gusto!
Go Warriors!
It’s about that time! Regular season records and stats are now out the window. Everything comes down to tomorrow. UCI is beatable. Stay focused and stay hungry. Play with grit, toughness, and determination. Go Warriors!
All you guys have a lot of talent and you are all well trained, you have a chance as any other team to win, let your hearts beat as one, let your thoughts be focused only on basketball nothing else.
Play with heart, play for your team, play for brothers sisters moms dads …… and all the fans around the world …… let Hawaii be proud of his team
Good luck to you guys and the coaches, enjoy the game
GO WARRIORS!!!!!!!!!!!! CHAMPIONS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DITTO…
You KNOW What to do
And HOW…
JUST DO IT…
GO ʻBOWS!
WIN WARRIORS!
Keep the Season Alive!
Start Thrivinʻ
Make this a Season to Remember!
One Possession at a Time
Stop that guard John Wilder, 6’3″ 213 lbs, he gives you guys a hard time with a timely, dagger 3 pointer, putbacks, and chasing down missed 3 pointers to help Irvine reset and gain another 35 seconds on shot clock. Put a body on him, Isaac, Chrisitan, Vander, shoot right over the top of him, get him into foul trouble. That guy is Irvine’s Brandon Spearman, the energy ulitily guy, all around player. Control Wilder, and any hot 3 ball shooter,like Daman Starring, and any Big that gets offensive rebounds, put backs, and short jumpers. Have to basically win against the Bigs and smalls. complete game.
Hey fans, at this stage, if UH doesn’t know what to do to win on the court, the season is for naught, I think, and hope, the 11 healthy guys will blister the nets for 40 minutes, not just 20 minutes.
JUST WIN MBB TEAM! YOU WIN…CHANCE TO ADVANCE. YOU LOSE and season IS THROUGH, and we don’t want that!
Go UH !
This game, UH needs Vander, Jace, Christian, Isaac, Hauns AND, Harper, Ozren, Clair, Jawato, Jefferson,Davis as well as Spearman proviiding morale support and leadership, telling guys what to do on court in able to beat Irvine.
This game, I think Irvine is favored. Irvine, in home state of California USA, Hawaii had to travel over 2500 miles and under 5 hours in perhaps turbulent weather, to get to Anaheim. Hope you got the guys ready Gib! Going to need Benjy, Brandyn, Fish, and Chris as D.O.B.O, trainers, managers, doctor, Band, Dancers, Cheerleaders, parents of Cali players, and hopefully 250-300 or even more!, UH faithful encouraging UH to get win.
Go Warriors, play loose, have fun, run and gun, try to score in the high eighties, push that ball , REBOUND and SHOOT well, and finish game with a great win. You guys give it 300% and still come up short, we are proud of you, However, play to WIN not to LOSE, some 9000 Stan Sheriff Center fans having been at the last senior nite home game, as well as thousands of other avid Warrior MBB fans, give a shout out! NO FEAR. Play hard, together, energized, supreme effort, and in closing minutes most important PLAY SMART, HIGH BBIQ!!
Go Warriors get the Win!
If Hawaii is going to win tomorrow (which I think is a tall task), the guards collectively must score at least 30 points. I put Hauns in the guard categoary because he is a shooter. That means him, Tavita, Jawato, Ozi, Manroop, Jefferson, and Harper. Somebody has got to have the hot hand or hands. The front line of Vander, Fotu, Christian, and Davis are talented enough to get about 45 to 50 points. Scoring around 75-80 points is a good number and they should be able to be in the game. If not, adios, sayonara, bye bye.
Note: Ozi, Manroop, Harper, and even Jefferson have hardly played of recent. Tavita struggles to score on the road. Jawato can get hot, maybe. Hauns has been reliable in recent games. The trends are down on Hawaii and up for UCI. The way I see it, the X-factors are Manroop and Pavlovic because they are both capable of scoring double digits on a good night. But, my confidence in Gib Arnold is going down and down as the season has worn out. He has not shown to me anyway that he’s a terrific basketball coach. Still, we root for the home team. Always. And don’t give me that excuse about Spearman. Injuries happen. You gotta adjust. Period.
Derek.
You are correct, whomever on the court, Gib has to coach them to victory. 11 guys available, who ever will just ball and play with energy, attitude, and smarts, shoot well, let them play, Whether Ozren, Roop or Davis, Jefferson. However you have to do it, Gib, just do it! Get the Win. And tomorrow night, about 900pm or so HST , all UH MBB fandom will be in ecstacy. Hey,have the guys play DEFENSE, that is what will win the game, 40 minutes of solid, unreal DEFENSE. Then shoot well from FT line and field, and close out victory. Go team, just win guys, you can do it!! You pull of this one, you will be in semis, and anything goes!
IMUA!!
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