Meet the Warriors: Keith Shamburger
After a year of sitting and waiting, Keith Shamburger is finally ready to take control of the University of Hawai’i basketball team.
Shamburger, a 5-foot-11 junior, will make a much-anticipated debut as the starting point guard for the Warriors on Friday night, when Hawai’i hosts Tennessee State in the 2013-14 season opener.
It will be the opening game of the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Rainbow Classic, and it is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center (Western Michigan vs. New Mexico State will follow at 8:30 p.m.). The Warriors will continue play in the Rainbow Classic with games on Saturday (7:30 p.m. against Western Michigan), and early Tuesday morning (midnight start against New Mexico State).
“I always lived with pressure all my life, it’s nothing different,” Shamburger said. “At Serra (High School), they always expected championships. I always won championships, I just didn’t win at San Jose … that’s something I look forward to this year.”
Shamburger was a starter as a freshman and sophomore at San Jose State before deciding to transfer to UH after the 2011-12 season. After Hawai’i beat Shamburger and San Jose State at a game in San Jose, Calif., in 2012, he expressed interest in transferring.
“I just told (Gib Arnold) I’m looking to transfer, would you guys take me?” Shamburger recalled. “It went from there after the season, and this is where I ended up.”
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Shamburger had to sit out of games last season, though he was allowed to practice with the team.
“I had to learn for myself to be really patient and my time would come again,” he said. “All of that worked out. I just had to stay in the gym and work on things. I had to work on school also.”
Shamburger averaged 13.1 points and 5.2 assists per game as a sophomore at San Jose State. His role with the Warriors this season may be more of a distributor and leader, rather than scorer. It is a role he is looking forward to, especially considering the assortment of weapons he could have among his teammates.
“I never had this many weapons,” he said. “At San Jose, I had Adrian (Oliver) and Justin (Graham); those were key weapons, but just guards. I never had a team where the whole five can do a lot of things … it’s just good to be out there playing with players who just want to win.”
NOTE: This is the final installment of the “Meet the Warriors” preseason player introductions. WarriorInsider.com will have feature profiles on the three seniors (Davis Rozitis, Brandon Spearman, Christian Standhardinger) later in the season.
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Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic Schedule
Friday, Nov. 8
Hawai’i vs. Tennessee State, 6:30 p.m.
Western Michigan vs. New Mexico State, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 9
New Mexico State vs. Tennessee State, 5:00 p.m.
Hawai’i vs. Western Michigan, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 11
Tennessee State vs. Western Michigan, 2:00 p.m.
Hawai’i vs. New Mexico State, Midnight (ESPN2)
Game 1 Tipoff Notes
Who: Hawai’i (0-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. Tennessee State (0-0, 0-0 OVC)
When: Friday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m. HT
Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) – Honolulu, HI
Television: Live on OCSports – Channels 16 (SD) and 1016 (HD).
Streaming Video: Live video streaming is available on Big West.tv.
Radio: Live on ESPN 1420 AM. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona, KTOH on Kaua’i, and KNWJ in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com
Ticket Information: $26 (lower); $18 (upper-adult); $16 (upper-sr. citizen); $5 (upper-youth, ages 4-HS); General Admission for the UH-NMSU midnight game. – $10 (adult); $5 (senior citizen and youth). UH Manoa students free with validated ID. Parking $6.
Promotions: Outrigger Hotels and Resorts is the tournament sponsor and will distribute 1,000 tote bags each night, beginning one hour prior to each U.H. game. Outrigger will distribute 2,000 posters during a post-game autograph session to follow Saturday’s game against Western Michigan. Also, Outrigger will award up to $2,000 a night during its popular “Shoot for Loot” promotional activity at halftime. It’s a “Blackout” during UH’s nationally televised game vs. New Mexico State as fans are encouraged to wear black shirts for the midnight contest. All seats are general admission that night.
Mahalo and Welcome for becoming a Rainbow Warrior Keith! You, made the right decision…we wish we could have had you with team, Gib’s first year, UH would probably have won on average, at least 19 or more games a year for sure!
Keep working hard, love your leadership , work ethic, running the team. Gib loves you and team too, because, you are those PG’s who are an extension of Coach on the court, same with Spear!
Have a great year, and go for the real goal for TEAM , the NCAA’s!
Uhfanzonly1.
Go Bows!
Keith: Aloooooha!, Welcome back home, to your NCAA launching pad to Post Season. You are right, you have at least a half a dozen, or more, older and newbies that can score. You get the ball into their hands in right position, and they finish, you could lead the BWC in assists at 7 or 8 per game, if you wish! Team, would really be doing well, if averaging a lot of assists! More assists than turnovers, the PG mantra!
Love your game, tougnhess, and want to, be in Hawaii, be the best PG you can be, get a degree, and be a winner with your team!
Sad, about loss of Caleb, and Spear and Q for now,with injuries, however, Keith, tell the others, gotta step up, the other BWC teams are not crying for you, go to man up, and , this team, with newbies, Fr. Aaron and Mike T., Stefan, Niki, Dyrbe, plus wings, Jawato, Harper, and Hackman, along with Fotu, Christian, and Davis and Stefan, they can score, and pass the ball too. Keith, lead the attack, call out the O and especially the pressure D or active match up or switching zones, you guys have to track, avoid screens, or go over, fight through, never let open 3 ball shooter, alone, in corners, You as PG do that, help Team, to be tops in BWC in 3 pt FG and FG percentage Defense, you can be regular and BWC tourney champs!
Love having all 17 of you guys doing well in community, class , as friends and on the court!
Have a great 2013-14 Keith Sham!
Go Rainbow Warriors!
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Here we go again, another, very good young man. Wants to be in Hawaii, help UH be the best it can be. Well spoken, from the heart, what I noticed, not pretense, all the 17 guys here in program, want to do well in school, get better day, by day, eventually get a degree, and elevate UH basketball to highest level.Gib did a good , very good job of getting, nice, and hard working young men. Now, the test, they are going to show us what they can do in regular season.
Hey fans, and of Course Eagle! Are you all excited for Hoops, high flyin, rim rockin, winning, ballers! I am, can listen on radion, BWC online stream, or OC sports when on, or ESPN games. Thanks to UH for hooking up with providers, and to RBC and DHC, ESPN, for providing coverage for home bound disabled ones. Wish I were, 20 yrs old again, and had the skill of a Shamburger, or Nevels, and the rest, would be fun, be a local boy, like Dyrbe, and help UH get to top 25-30 , NIT, NCAA every year type of team!
What, Eagle, get ready to FLY!!!…about, 33 hrs, till tip off…
LET’S GO BOWS, LET’S GO BOWS…for jjay, let’s Go Warriors, for old great grandfather, let’s go Fighting Deans, for 70 to 90″s alum, let’s go Rainbows, and Officially 2013-14: Go Rainbow Warriors, whatever you want to cheer them on as, just cheer, come on guys IT’s Winning Time!
Uhfanzonly1.
Man, I must be getting oooooooold!! real old. All Seventeen say they like the people , supportive , friendly, and all say the “views” and the “beaches”, well mano UH BB athletes, Hawaii, the University, tourists, the hapa haole, hapa asian, just the cosmopolitan blend of WAHINE, a lot of nice young women, are on the beaches of Waikiki , east, west, south shore and the North Shore.
That is something that other schools on the mainland, don’t have, they have very beautiful dances and cheerleaders,however, the surfers, paddle boarders, swimmers, sun tanners, just a lot of beautiful young women..” the View” of course, be gracious , respectful, and like some of the other UH MBB athletes, found there love of their lives, and married, great, loving, Hawaii girls, and have been married, and attending your games after finishing UH BB carreer, raised children, some have grandchildren!
Yep, “the View” nice healthy, friendly from USA mainland, Asia, locally, Australia, NZ, Tonga, Samoa,Pilippines , Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesian, India, Africa , a real mixture of races, trying to get along. and many are most importantly when you guys are ready to settle down, if it is a local girl, or out of state co-ed, make sure she likes UH Hoops! Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy all the views of Hawaii, I know when I attended Manoa over 30 yrs, ago, not as many coeds, however, now, they are all over the place, play ball first, make GPA, graduate, go on to profession, and if it works out find the right young woman, go for it. Hawaii, can chill after perhaps a professional carrer!
Ahhhh. The Beauty of the Islands, that is why UH MBB athletes love to go to beach too, good water,, clean, relaxing , and the view!
D:
Go Bows!
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My sincere apologies, to Keith Shamburger, the whole UH MBB team, their, friends, mums and dads. I was being facetious(just joking or humorous!). No disrespect to Team or the young guys.
They don’t have too much time for social things, for now, in BB season, workout, practice, games, weight room, individual workout, school and sleep! However no problem knowing the other UH athletes gals and guys from other sports, Loved how this year’s BB team, really tried to support FB, at Aloha Stadium, know that Fotu, and several other BB athletes love watching the WVB team, as well as Rozitis, loved watching the W. Softball team. Some watch, the swimming and diving, tennis, Baseball, etc. Gib has them in right direction, ONE OHANA, they are supportive of their fellow UH student athletes, as one player mentioned, since UH BB team, comes out to support, FB, WVB, W. Soccer, Diving, Swimming, or whatever it might be, hopefully a few hundred or more will support the UH MBB team, which, if they get on a roll and start winning a bunch, fans will come out, should be the Students , and especially fellow UH sports athletes. to cheer on the Rainbow Warriors!
So , Keith,and the Shamburgers, from playhoops, sorry for my being , what I thought was a funny recollection, at least for me, when going to UH Manoa, the coed interaction, still some of the best freinds, with their children and some grandchildren till this day!
Go Rainbow Warriors, and whether Male or Female, UH athletes, from other sports, come out and see Keith and the rest of the team try to win the BWC tounament and go NCAA’s
playhoopsa.,my sincerest apologies, to Keith and all the MBB players and their families and coach Gib and staff. No disrespect, a ton of RESPECT, great group of 17 athletes and citizens you have on the BB roster
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Keith is the key to the success/failure of this year’s team. If he can take care of the ball and make the routine plays, UH will have a very good year. UH point guards over the past decade have been very shaky with ball control and haven’t had good vision to find the passing lanes.
Keith is also a good scorer too, so he can keep the defense honest. Last year, opponents didn’t have to guard Tavita on offense and sagged back to clog the paint, where Vander would take his sweet time and allow the defense to collapse on him and stagnate the offense.
The only concern at the PG this year is the depth behind Shamburger. Maybe Smith or Nevels can fill in PG duties, but they are more suited as 2 guards. UH’s weak spot will be when Shamburger is on the bench for rest or foul trouble.
This year is just the start of a major run for the program. Very exciting for UH fans.
Thanks for all the interviews of the team. Keith–awesome interview, can’t wait until tomorrow night. And ALL of the other team member’s interviews left me so impressed with their passion for basketball, aloha for Hawai`i and ohana, team mentality, and the character of each of the players. READY to ROCK the SHERIFF tomorrow…FINALLY!
Many thanks DM for bringing the team to us – I feel so much closer to the guys. Hope for the best this year!! BIG WEST TAKEOVER, come out and play….. RAINBOW WARRIORS!! Tournament or BUST.
EAGLE: LESS THAN 20 HOURS TO MAGIC HOUR! TIP OFF 2013-14 season, hopefully ending in Selection Sunday, NCAA or at least NIT.
Guys, injured? NEXT UP..UH MBB team, go to battle, no slackers, just fight, fight ,fight for victory.
Yes, FUHA, Shamburger key, however, he cannot play 40 min. a game for 33 games before NCAA’s start, need Smith, when healthy, and if you watch Q, he is getting much much better being a set up guy, not run and gun, however can hit open man. Loves getting ball to scorers too, although, like Keith,
Q can score, Nevels, I know can go combo, another ball handler, Spear, when he does come back, another additional ball handler and tough dude, coach and leader on the floor, Don’t count out, if need be Niko and Dyrbe, UH MBB team has not had at least 6 guys that could handle and run sets, that was the weakness, that Gib should have addressed a couple of years ago, however, now he has guards, good guards help you win more games,than previous year, GREAT guards, help you win championships and go deep into Post Season!
EAGLE: TIP OFF, less than 20:44,20:43,20:42…and counting down, beeeeeep, horn, tip off,
SEASON: GAME ON!
Uhfanzonly
Need QSmith and Spearman Back to Push Full-Strength;
Q is solid enough at the point that
GIB said when Q is in game, heʻd have Keith Shamburger slide to 2/3 with Nevels;
Recent Guesses are that Quincy could be ready before Spearman;
Hope the Back and Ankle soon both heal to normal/full strength…
Meanwhile, when can you remember TWO as good as Q & Spearman down
and the Team Still having strength and a chance for numbers
(with Dyrbe/Filipovich Progress soon to be proven or at least Evaluated Under Fire)?
And Should or Could be even better Next Year…
SO HOW GOOD Can the Weakened Team be This Three-Game Weekend?
How Well can the Developing ʻYoungʻ Head Coach emply the many talents he still has on the court to build the te
How well can the develping young coach play his assets to build the teamʻs capabilities while earning Wʻs and buying time for Q & Spear to return?
SSC House Money games this week starting Tonight…
Eagle: I think sometimes we forget those 2/wing guys, Jawato, Harper and possibly Hackman if he is well. They are key. Playing D. Running offense, popping the open 3, stretching the D. And getting out on the 3 ball shooters. You just know the name of the game in century 2K is still 3 ball, live by it, die by it, it is the great equalizer, still say, MY MANTRA, if UH, can play that Gib first year D, great D against 3 ball and overall FG percentage, they will win a lot of games.!
Jawato, Harper, and maybe Hackman, if not ailing, provide needed help at the wing spot.
Plust Jawato, in system 3rd year, Harper, 2nd year, you watch video, they run with purpose, not trying to score 20 pts, get loose ball, rebound, block out, get ball to PG’s and get on wings and run. Plus, Harper added that nice euro move, come around the FT line, and just circle under the Bigs, and scoop a layup in, hopefully he will draw and ones from that move, just don’t get his shot blocked. Harper, is a very mature, going on 20 yr old, same age as Jawato, They will prove, in my opinion, they are the wildcards, they provide, that 8-10 min, all out hustle relief for first rotation guys, UH in good shape, and with the injury situation, maybe they get combined 20 plus minutes, we shall see.
I can’t wait..the whole WI Ohana nation, the MBB, though we love Laura’s girls and their possible big season, we know, the Big Ball is with the Big Boys, the UH MBB Rainbow Warriors!
Eagle, have good time, watching the Bows Battle the Tigers.!!
Imua!
Uhfanzonly1. Can hardly sleeep!..Very excited, hope they get a win, by 1 pt or 21 pts, just WIN BABY!
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