Webster-Chan commits to transfer to Hawai’i
The Hawai’i basketball team got its first commitment for the upcoming Spring signing period, and it’s a good one.
Negus Webster-Chan, a 6-foot-7 combo guard who was once recruited by many of the top programs in the country, said he is committed to transferring to the Warriors for the 2013-14 season.
Webster-Chan made an official recruiting visit to Hawai’i this week and apparently saw enough to make up his mind.
“It’s just a great environment with great people and the coaching staff is great,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time.”
Webster-Chan played his freshman season at Missouri this past season, and averaged 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He started six games early in the season, but his playing time diminished later in the year and he requested – and received – a release from the school just last week.
Hawai’i was the first, and only, school he visited since his “re-recruitment” opened.
“The players are all posititve here; there’s no egos,” Webster-Chan said. “I liked playing with them on the court and talking with everybody. It was all good.”
He said he also enjoyed his first trip to Hawai’i, which of course included several beach sessions. He even tried surfing – and was apparently a natural.
“I could stand up on the first one,” he said. “It was fun. I caught some good waves.”
Webster-Chan was a standout player at national power Huntington Prep during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. During that time, he met Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold during the recruiting process.
Webster-Chan said he thought about Hawai’i back then, but ultimately chose Missouri over such other programs as Louisville, Kentucky, Baylor, UNLV and Clemson.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I had to go through what I did to get to where I really need to be.”
Webster-Chan said he will complete his classes at Missouri this semester to remain in good academic standing. He said he will likely return to Hawai’i during the summer.
He will have to redshirt the 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but he would have three years of eligibility after that.
The upcoming signing period for basketball recruits runs from April 17 to May 15.
(Photos from www.MUTigers.com)
And sadly, two nice young men who gave their all for program, and had chance to start. A 6’2″ guard and
a 6’8″ SF chose to move on. One back home. The other to another DI school in the Pacific Northwest. Best wishes to them and their wonderful families. They were part of a great ohana, best friends, and they will remain that way hopefully forever. Always welcome back to Hawaii, appreciated your play and the excitement you two brought to team!
Mahalo to the both of you!!
this is a way to beef up the roster by getting top transfers but sucks we gotta wait a year
Great pickup. I foresee him and Shamburger wrecking havoc in the backcourt in a couple years.
Interesting note: Webster-Chan played along side Andrew Wiggins (#1 recruit in the nation) in HS playing the point guard position. This means he will bring ball handling and passing abilities at the 2 or 3 spot and could potentially be a backup point.
Welcome Negus Webster-Chan ! Hope & Expect you can and Will both get fully accustomed to the UH books & environment and “natural”, full-speed in the UHBB system, as well as improve strength, speed & skills so you can Have a Blast your remaining three years!
Weʻll be agonizing along with yaʻ (IF we could ʻVoteʻ in NCAA Bylaws Elections, iʻd be voting that student-athletes in good APR standing ʻgetʻ at least one Free Transfer Pass) — See hawaiifan above — iʻm sure there are many — thousands, tens of thousands ? — who solidly feel that way just in Hawaiʻi…. you get the most ʻagonyʻ (i can hardly stand sitting on sidelines one game) but i also trust you, Gib, the Scout & Total Team will make the most of this opportunity!
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I Hope we continue to ʻHearʻ Updates & Wisdom from Ozi Mum … i would Miss Her IF she ever really left this site —
i had great hopes that the Fab Freshmen would All Grow into a Super Group Together — the remainders still probably will — yet wish All Well where ever their individual paths take them…
As someone wrote a lot of people are following page but not write posts
Eagle,
I will probably join the silent crowd, but I will follow Warriors
When Ozi said in an interview that the coach expects him to learn all the positions from No. 1 to No. 4 in that moment I thought that this could be the beginning of the end
I thought it only leads to sitting on the bench, and unfortunately so happened
When the coach decided that he played point guard my opinion was that he was like in the game of chess or during the war, became a pawn to be sacrificed for the Queen
Before long Ozi wanted to come home and we told him to talk to the coach.
The coach told him that his departure could hurt him and the university team.
I am proud of him because he alone brought a moral decision and decided to stay until the end no matter how it is to be very difficult
He held on and after the last match in which they all played beside him even though the coach said before the game that everyone will play
Counting the days when I will be able to hug him
Ozren Pavlovic and Manroop Clair, Aloha and Mahalo, Thank you for becoming warriors far away from home. To your family, the UH MBB ohana is very appreciative. Most importantly, both of you stayed for the Spring Semester and will finish up in good academic standing.
To Ozi Mum, you are a great support for Ozren,very concerned mother, and great friend and supporter of him. What a sacrifice Ozren made to not sign with a Croatian Professional team out of High School, and during Mid Year at UH. We thank him and you, Ozi mum for helping UH MBB team stay together through the remainder of year.
Best Wishes to Manroop Clair and Ozren Pavlovic, they are great young men. Much success in your future endeavors!
Ozi Mum, take care, and as eagle, and many others know and will say, you are always welcome as a supporter of Warrior Insider UH MBB nation!
Aloha and Thankyou again to the Pavlovics and the Clairs!
Uhfanzonly1.
Ozi Mum, I can tell how very, very close you are to Ozren. What a great sacrifice and maturity on Ozren’s part to still be part of team, though challenging circumstances. He will be home soon. We send our love to you, you always supported Warrior team, and Ozren. Hope that Ozren has a great career in Croatian Professional Basketball or other future endeavors.
Ozi Mum, you have great character and are a first class parent and mother. Ozren is blessed to have you!
Take care, and thank you for sharing Ozren with us!
Aloha. Uhfanzonly1.
To Ozi Mum,
I am more a part of the silent crowd that follows this site although I attend most of the UH & summer league games.
It looks like Ozi had a trying year. Not what he had hoped. But thru it all, I think his decision to go thru it as a team player speaks a lot about him & his upbringing. Congratulations! I’m sure he will draw on his experiences here in his future endeavors.
One thing about many locals, once someone has been a part of the Hawaii scene in good standing, they will be a part of the local following. This goes for Ozi as well as for Manroop Clair.
I believe I can say with certainty, your brief accomplishments will be remembered & appreciated by the people of Hawaii.
Ohana forever.
Good luck guys. Practice excellence at your next destination. Set your goals high and keep stepping up your level of excellence both on and off the court. Keep Aloha in your hearts…
Ozi Mum, Ozren, Manroop & The Clair Families,
Even though i “Post” a bunch i still consider myself “Silent”, in that i never made the time to walk up and shake the hands or your sons (for example, so symbolically let this be it here) and tell them How Much i appreciate your families separating them traveling overseas to Literally, The Middle of The Pacific Ocean to try to help our beloved UHMBB Team — And for OZI, That IS Over TWO Great Oceans …
During the Banquet Videos, i think Davis hinted that he would Visit Ozi & Family in Croatia and these are the kinds of things i hope to hear of in the years and decades to come and i could see (it looked like) Manroop trying to distance his heart … i truly hope that Ohana comes to mean one of the Greatest Concepts and Realities for your young men & families — that their Team Brothers are truly a Great Life Resource, for here are a young group that WILL Experience Much Success and Love in Life and i “Bet” they go out of their way to help and support one another, because that’s how i feel and what i try to do with my various brothers in arms even IF the ‘War’ — or Chess Game — was mostly on the basketball court …i can hardly believe the Levels of Success of My Past Teammates and i Consider This Group This Year as fine an example as anywhere of Why We Can Expect Good Things in ALL our Futures …
There ARE so many good families represented here,
So Thank You ALL;
and still…
OZI & Aussie Mum are My Nominees for WI UHMBB Co-Moms of The Year …
(Request OZI Updates!)
To Everything, There is A Season…
A Time to Embrace… A Time to Be Far from Embraces…
May You All Travel Home Safely …
and Forever Remember & Enjoy Another Home Here….
National Sportscaster (also ‘from’ Hawai’i), Al Michaels: “Aloha Means Goodbye”
Aloha also Means Breath of Life and Love
I was looking foreword to watching Manroop and Oz get experience, improve and becoming key players over the next few years. One of the joys of being a college fan, is watching players develope over several seasons. Best of luck to both of you.
It did seem a little petty not to have Oz play in the last game.
“Probably” An Oversight…
IF SO, The Whole Coaching Staff Needs to Do Better…
Despit
[Please Delete Previous…Mahalo]
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“Probably” An Oversight…
IF SO, The Whole Coaching Staff Needs to Do Better…
Despite “Distraction(s)”: Last Game, Pouting Players, The Score, etc.
BOTH Manroop and Ozi were praised by Staff as “Most Skilled” players on team….
SO i also was looking forward to their Growth into Special Players …
Given Enough Time (If Available, even Coach is On The Clock) and Hard Work,
i’m sure they would have been (More than even now) Fan Favorites …
i know Coach Jackson Really Like Ozi
Good luck to Ozi and Manroop…Both are young and with so much to grow and develop. I wish they would have stayed, but its understandable that they must choose what’s best for them. It will be nice to follow their basketball careers, as they’ve left on “good terms” with the Warrior Ohana and we’ll always consider them Warriors for staying through the season. I wish them well and the best…
Mahalo Ozi mum and other Warrior parents for sending your sons to play here and becoming a part of our Ohana.
Im sure Webster Chan is a difference but he has to sit a year. I’m not going to get excited until I actually see him play with the Warriors in 2014
Will help in practice though
The only thing I don’t like is the Warriors lose two players so it’s like we traded for Webster Chan.
Just read that Corey Allen committs to South Florida
I totally understand Ozrens decision to leave. Like most young players, he surely has aspirations to play pro ball. To get to the pro level you need plenty of film for scouts to look at… which means lots of playing time. Oz would most likely have limited minutes next season as Spearman is the starter, Jawato is a solid 6 man guard, Valdes likely leapfrogs Oz for minutes at the 3 spot and Shamburger securing the PG. Obviously, Standhardinger is the 4, so Oz would be behind him also.
It’s just one of those situations where the roster doesn’t line up for Oz. It happens all the time across all levels of college ball. Also part of the reason how UH landed Webster-Chan…. who looks awesome.
Just looking at the projected roster, there’s just not much room for solid minutes for Oz. I think Oz gets picked up quickly by another school or might turn pro… sorry haven’t read the SA article yet. I wish the best for Roop. He’s a long ways away from being a full time starter at the D1 level. He’s got a 2 guard skill set, but is undersized for that position. He doesn’t have the ball handles to play PG. This biggest issue with Roop was his defense. That’s why his minutes dropped this year. Just about everybody he guarded was blowing by him into the paint, which got Vander in foul trouble on a few games Roop started.
As sad as I am seeing Oz leave, the sadness quickly disappears after seeing the talent/athleticism Webster-Chan brings to UH.
Based on how the recruiting has been going, it appears that Oz and Roop were curtious enough to give Gib early notice of their intentions to leave. Gib and staff have been aggressive in recruiting Webster-Chan and the Mt SAC guards since the season ended… Which raised speculation among Warrior Insiders as Gib was after more players than apparent available scholarships.
Ouch, we lost the cream of the bench of this year’s team. These two among the freshmen class (and Isaac) had the most potential. But you gotta do what you think is best for your future. Wish Manroop and Ozren success in their careers and life. They are a good bunch of guys and will be missed.
On the other hand, Webster Chan seems like a good pickup. He looks like a two or three. From his highlight reel, he has ability to spot up or create a shot. That alone is gold. Anything else he can do is gravy.
Ozi Mum: You have every right to be proud of Ozi. By all accounts he is a fine young man, and I commend him for sticking it out for the year and leaving the program in good academic standing. That is testament to truly being a team player … especially one who is so far from home.
Please feel free to provide us updates on Ozi as he pursues his dream of playing professionally.
And thanks to Ozi and Manroop for taking a chance on UH basketball. May you be successful in your basketball careers and in life.
With Allen deciding on USF, UH better get Smith or another PG. It’s just unfortunate because it’s a numbers game. Manroop could have used a redshirt year, but with Webster-Chan also redshirting because of transfer rule, Clair or somebody else had to leave. Because Pavlovic is also leaving there is one spot open and I hope that one spot will be for Nevels because we need shooting. If Davis moves on after graduation then another spot will be open.
I will miss Manroop’s potential. He guy is still only 18. And Ozi, I will miss his potential for further development in American basketball and his sharp shooting skills. It’s just too bad the patience around here in Manoa wears thin because Arnold’s future himself is on thin ice. I will look forward to keeping up with Manroop while he is in Seattle. He seemed to be a favorite of mine after watching his so called cult status on the internet. Good luck to Ozi in his professional basketball endeavor. Thanks to both of them for allowing us to watch you play for the University of Hawaii.
Awesome pick-up! Hopefully, more higher caliber players will follow suit. Best wishes to Oz and Manroop, we wish them the best! Now if we can just secure 1 or 2 guys that can play immediately, we’ll be set!
Aloha means “Hello” and “Good Bye.”
It is bittersweet to know that we are adding to the Warrior Family while also saying good bye to those that have grown close to our hearts. Good luck to Manroop and Ozi (and Ozi Mum). We will miss your passion for the game of basketball and wish you greatness in what lies ahead for you. Thank you for all that you have given to the team. Your Hawaii family will miss you, and please know that you are always welcomed, no matter how far you go or how much time will pass.
Aloha from Warrior Nation.
It seems to me, that you should play a lot of players, so the whole team is happy and feels like they are contibuting. It doesent seem to make sense that a player is good enough to be a starter for several games, and then they do not get into a game for several games.
Let everyone on the team get into every game, even if is brief. That builds team spirit, and fan support. Gib probably does not realize, how many older woman fans, had adopted Manroop and Ozi as their favorites and went to the games to see their adopted sons get in even if for a brief time.