UPDATED: Warriors come up short against New Mexico State
There’s a saying that nothing good can happen if you stay up past midnight. Such was the case for the University of Hawai’i basketball team in a 95-88 loss to New Mexico State early on Tuesday morning.
The game started at midnight as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip Off Marathon, and a boisterous “Blackout” crowd came out to the Stan Sheriff Center for the final game of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic.
Perhaps fitting for a game at such an odd time, there were many bizarre happenings. For starters, both Hawai’i and New Mexico State went 2-1 in the four-team Rainbow Classic, yet neither team took home the championship. It instead went to Western Michigan, which also went 2-1 in the tournament, but won the tiebreaker for fewest points allowed.
“I really liked how at the end of the game we kept staying aggressive and kept coming at them, but unfortunately we came up a little short,” Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold said. “It wasn’t our night tonight and give credit to New Mexico State.”
Hawai’i trailed by as many as 16 points late in the second half, but rallied to cut it down to four in the final minute. However, New Mexico State point guard KC Ross-Miller went 10 for 10 from the free throw line in the final 37 seconds to secure the win for the Aggies.
Meanwhile, the Warriors finished the game without their starting point guard, Keith Shamburger. He was ejected from the game with 7:50 remaining after being assessed his second technical foul of the game – supposedly for talking smack with New Mexico State players.
“It was the same ref – he was pretty quick to blow (the whistle),” Arnold said. “I think there was a lot of jawing going on, so I think you could have chose just about any play to do that. But it is what it is. You have to play cool, you have to play calm.”
Junior guard Garrett Nevels sparked Hawai’i’s rally attempt, scoring 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
“I was just trying to leave it all on the floor,” Nevels said. “We were down nine and I wasn’t really worried at halftime … I was just trying to get everybody to leave it all on the floor. Just give it your all so we could fight back. We fought hard, it just didn’t work out tonight.”
Sophomore forward Isaac Fotu added 20 points and nine rebounds, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Rainbow Classic. He scored 50 points and grabbed 27 rebounds in the three tournament games.
“We should have got a lot more transition baskets for us bigs, but it didn’t seem like we got that much,” Fotu said of going against the New Mexico State big men.
Sophomore guard Quincy Smith contributed 15 points for the Warriors, and senior forward Christian Standhardinger had nine points and five rebounds. Standhardinger joined Fotu on the all-tournament team.
The Aggies shots 57.7 percent from the field, including 73.7 percent (14 for 19) in the second half, and they also out-rebounded the Warriors, 40-27. Sim Bhullar, New Mexico State’s 7-foot-5, 355-pound center, shot 6 for 7 from the field – and all six were dunks. He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Remi Barry, a 6-7 forward, added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and added six rebounds.
The Aggie guards were also key, as the starting trio of Daniel Mullings (21 points), Ross-Miller (17 points) and DK Eldridge (15 points, 3 for 5 from 3-point range) combined for 53 points.
“They were better tonight,” Arnold said of the Aggies. “They had their way with us. Offensively they just kept pounding it in and we really struggled guarding them down low. And they hit just enough 3s, more than they normally shoot and at a better rate, to get that big lead.”
The score was tied at 16 midway through the first half, then the Aggies took control with a 15-5 surge over a five-minute stretch. New Mexico State eventually took a 46-37 lead at halftime, and stayed in front the entire second half.
The Aggies had a 73-60 lead at the time of Shamburger’s ejection. “I didn’t like losing him, but I thought the guys coming in … did a good job. We were fine.”
A total of five technical fouls were assessed during the game – three on Hawai’i and two on New Mexico State.
“I didn’t grow up playing in America, so I don’t know what all the fuss was about,” said Fotu, who is from New Zealand. “They should just play and not worry about all these technicals.”
The Aggies’ Ross-Miller was assessed a technical foul with 37 seconds remaining and his team holding an 85-80 lead. Nevels made one of the two ensuing free throws to make it 85-81.
The Warriors gave the momentum right back when they were assessed a technical foul with 27 seconds remaining for calling a timeout they didn’t have.
Up next for the Warriors is the first road trip of the season, and a November 16 game against Missouri.
(Game photos courtesy Brandon Flores / www.brandonfloresphotography.com)
I did not like the officiating at all in this game. Touch fouls all over the place, which slowed the tempo into New Mexico St.’s favor. How do we run the ball when players are shooting free throw’s every 30 seconds? They also made bad out of bounds calls, and anyone who watched would agree. How do they not overturn their call when the reply clearly showed otherwise? The ref’s were outstanding the first 2 nights, but seriously went to crap last night.
It was also absurd how well the Aggies shot the ball and made free throw’s. They don’t do that, and it’s a double digit Warrior win. On the other hand, the Warriors did not guard very well. Not a bad loss against above average competition, however still a very winnable game that got away. This one’s going to hurt for a while.
I really like the guards this year really an upgrade over Tavita, Clair, Pavlovic and Jefferson. With that being said Mr. Arnold has his guys so there is no excuse for a loss at home. long season ahead still a lot of work to do. 3 seniors on this team Standhardinger tho, turn up you need to lead while Spearman is out.
Any positives. ..Yes,the outstanding comeback led by Q with 15 and Nevels with 26..both guys amazed me..withou . Sham and Spear they score total of 41 pts nearly half of UH’s total.,cannot underscore the valueof healthy Spearman. ,he could of help steady team..NMSU , Mizzou, and DHC proving to be great competition for the Bows…..back to getting ready for an excellent Mizzou team…maybe on neutral floor in KC UH can be competitive. .
Still early in season fans ,UH will learn from coach to players and be better, especially BWC play time! !
Go Bows!!
Yeah, the refs were quick to blow the whistle in this one. It just was not Hawaii’s night. Well, back to the gym and get ready for a good Missouri team.
Things I learned for yesterday/this morning…
UH struggles vs teams that can match their athleticism and are more physical. Shamburger, Smith and Nevels small size were a factor. NMSU defenders were super active with their hands in passing lanes and the guards had issues finding the passing lanes.
Standhardinger had his worst game as a Bow… he missed a ton of open/uncontested shots. He probably won’t play this poorly again. Like last year, Standhardinger’s weakness was/is strength. He can bulldog his way to the hoop vs most defenders, but he really struggles vs stronger defenders that can fend him off.
Bhullar is a freaking moose. Can’t run, can’t jump, no real skills, but he’s freaking huge and UH didn’t have the length or girth to do much to prevent him getting the ball. His size definitely affects the game even with his lack of mobility.
Fotu is really good, and getting 20 points vs a physical team is a really good sign. Garrett Nevels can flat out score. He might turn out to be one of the best shooters UH has ever had.
UH only had 9 turnovers, so that’s a very good number. Through 3 games, UH is only averaging 10 TO/Gm. UH averaged 14.4 TO/Gm last season. That’s a remarkable improvement considering UH is playing at a much faster tempo than last year. Shamburger has brought much needed stability to the team.
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In summary, NMSU played a perfect game and UH just couldn’t make enough stops to close the gap. NMSU shot 74% in the 2nd half, which is a ridiculous number. They had players that don’t shoot well that couldn’t miss, plus they hit all their FTs.
Lastly, the new rules regarding hand checking and making it harder on defense are absolutely ridiculous. 70 combined Free Throw attempts last night. Just absurd. If the NCAA wanted more scoring, they should have just shortened the shot clock to 30 seconds. At least it wasn’t the most ridiculous foul laiden game of the weekend…
Indiana v Chicago St had 87 FT attempts.
BYU v Stanford had 77 FT attempts
New Mexico State, Montana, Missouri, N. Arizona on the road, Omaha, New Orleans, and Diamond Head Classic teams, had circled pre season, as tough ones for this new breed UH MBB team.
Still proud of the boys, though losing Shamburger, and FUHA you are right, the NMSU, wings and guards, more physical, quick hands athletic, however, as hoopsa said, Quincy And Garrett N. had a great second half, almost leading UH to comeback to tie, or perhaps win. The costly T, well, even Chris Webber and Michigan made boo, boo. Coach and staff learn, and team learns, …Standhardinger is not a muscled player, more finesse and hustle, he can still affect winning by driving to hoop and hitting his perimeter shots. Shamburger and Christian, and all UH guys, the refs are calling so tight, any trash talk, they are going to T up this year..FUHA you are right , these new rules, slow down game, they should have made the clock 30 seconds or 25 seconds, even WBB has 30 second clock I believe.
Anyways, that game is past, UH is 2-1, and hopefully will be ready, and give it their TEAM all ONE OHANA, to compete with Mizzou, keep it close, and you never know, in a neutral arena in Kansas-City, Mo. nice, very nice arena this Sat. will be on Fox Midwest Sports , for those that have it and streamed live ESPN3 I think…this Sat at 100pm HST, it would be MONSTER upset if UH won against Mizzou, however, UH has to go up thinking WIN, and playing perfect game like NMSU did. Who knows, UH might get a huge road victory!
Let’s Go Bows. heads up, and keep working hard, smart and together.
Uhfanzonly1. This loss hurts, however, still have 27 more games left before the BWC tourney so, lot of season left, only the beginning!
The game was winnable, IF Hawaii shot the ball better. Look at the shooting percentages. I thought Standhardinger did not have a good game. He had the medium jump shot from just past the free throw line uncontested at least 3 or 4 times and he missed them badly. I saw him make 1 shot from that spot. That’s just an example. The New Mexico St. big guy hurt us, but it was mostly the perimeter guys who drove the lane for layups were the ones that killed us.
We needed more from Valdes and Shamburger got ejected so that didn’t help either. Plus Spearman was out too, and surely he would have helped in some capacity if he was healthy enough to contribute. We also needs shooting from Jawato, a least a couple of 3s a game would do wonders.
All of the above posts, comments observations, spot on! I knew, perhaps we all did, UH has to have perimeter, consistent from several guys, when playing bigger teams, who just clog down low, and are bigger than Hawaii, …If Spearman were healthy, his 3 point shot, mid range, and ability to lockdown on D, plus, just be The All Around Physical, most Physical and strong guard out there, game would have probably swung in UH favor. Spearman, as we can see, his loss, a very HUGE one. Hope Spear makes it back soon, he is so Key to UH competing against better teams. Man, if he was near 100% healthy for Mizzou game, would help!WE true UH fans, so early in season, NMSU, if Hawaii just willed a way , played first half, how they did last 5 min of game, UH wins by a few points, without question.Oh well,…Jawato, Harper, that is why Gib inserted Enos, for handles , he did decent! and his ability to hit needed 3’s to catch up at end of game. Dyrbe, will be, when he can start hitting those 26 foot open jumpers, a help. Jawato, those darn ankles, affect his shot, Maybe, Insert Hackman, so young and not ready yet, or even Harper, …Definitely Derek, UH needs more perimeter shooting, and good percentage shooting, from about 3 or 4 guys, will help things down low..would have kept UH tied with NMSU, also, UH has to Western Michigan,just execute, against NMSU, to have won! Yes. Hawaii, besides Nevels, who is shooting waaay over 50% , just like in JC ball, from 3 line, unreal! AT least 3 more 3 ball shooters, can knock it down, and NO,Fotu, is not ready yet, too much to ask, he wants to work down low, when pressured, he cannot knock down 3 when hand in his face, at least not yet.
Yes , currently Nevels is shooting 60 % from three line or 9 for 15 from behind the arc wow. Plus, Q, is such a spark off the bench, I did not realize, he could get that floater down, and when needed, that JC number one team in Cali, 31-1 , he PG of that team, makes difference. Probably next year, Quincy, will be maybe 180 lbs and Nevels, I don’t know if he is 190, that is what roster says, maybe, bulk up a little, to 195, solid like Spearman, along with Isaac Flemings, 6’3″ 190, they can be more physical..however with new, rules, you cannot be too physical, rather, you can use chest, move your feet, get clean picks, which Hawaii making that last run, I was impressed with their last minute or so D, they almost got there, Standhardinger, should have made those wide open, uncontested 17 foot jumpers, and scored his average 18 pts, UH wins. Too late, water under the bridge, WE need outside shooting, good ones, and SPEARMAN, the super man of UH guards back, he is a DIFFERENCE maker, Captain Spear, hurry back, we need you Bruddah Spear!
Now I am going waaay back in the day, for the UH MBB newbies, to 1993-95. You old timers, remember Tony Maroney? 7’1 1’2″ and about 300 pounds? He of the slow of foot, however, soft touch from FT line, decent rebounder, good shot blocker, He took up soooo much space, he could affect the O and D flow of the game. Paired up with in 93-94 Trevor Ruffin, Jarin Akana, John Molle Jr., Phil Handy, from the outside, 3 ball bombers, Tony helped UH to Riley Wallace’s first NCAA appearance against Syracuse, Tony was slow afoot against The Orangemen’s John Wallace, 6’8″ PF All American, however Tony still goes for something like 20 pts, and 10 boards, HIs SIZE, and Ruffin goes off for 26 or 27 pts, against Syracuse , that first round NCAA game. A BIG BIG , Tony Maroney, and a little, little, with skill, Trevor Ruffin, who played in the NBA as a free agent with the 76ers and the Phoenix Suns!
Anyways, Tony , his massive size, 300 pounds, , huge back side, and soft touch jumper, jump hook, and gentle giant persona, plus alter shots, and blocked shots, Reminded me of Sim Bhullar, maybe 3 inches shorter, and 50 pounds lighter, however, Tony Maroney at near 7’2″ and 300 pounds, was a Gentle Giant, nice guy, and he helped UH go to NCAA’s!
One more thing, sorry fans….Vander Joaquim, if he were a senior with this year’s team, and bought into the ONE OHANA, team first Mantra, plus made quick decisions with the ball when doubled, He, remember, last year. HIS 3 point stroke from top of the key, thing of beauty, HE as the UH Big, would have affected winning for UH, he could stroke a mid range jumper, to the 3 line..It would have changed Dynamic of NMSU game big time. Sim or Chili, the 7’5″ or 6’10” PF, would have to come out to challenge Vander, it would create a lot of problems. However, once again, water under the bridge, past history..
UH , shooters, of 3 ball, and mid range, the guards, the wings, MT and AV, Jawato, Harper, Enos, Hackman, Standhardinger, Smith, Nevels, Sham, all have to hit those outside shots, ..I guess, the first 2 games, UH run and gun, then grind, however THE POSITIVE, the young guys NEVER, EVER gave up, that is why, until the unfortunate T for no timeouts left and UH trailing by 4 points, UH maybe, could have won. …..Another POSITIVE, without Sham, for last 7 min plus, Nevels and Q almost brought Hawaii back to tie or win, and credit to NMSU guard, who hit 10 in a row to seal game, props to him.
Now UH go on the road, and BE COMPETITIVE, Gib have a great scout, and figure out how to WIN the Mizzou game, who knows, if UH starts knocking down 3’s, pressure D, and win the battle of the boards, against, a team, that is faster, more athletic, and as big as NMSU, if UH won in Kansas City Mo., it would be one of the greatest road wins for UH in years!
Let’s Go Bows..fans, we ain’t know bandwagon jump off people, we stay for the long haul, BWC tourney, Bows, be primed and playing best ball for BWC tourney, and win it, go NCAA’s, this NMSU, loss a thing of past, though for now , a great learning tool, better, effort, rebounding, and definitely be able to hit outside shots!
Let’s Go Bows!
ONE NAME, HELP STEADY TEAM AFFECT WINNING HERE AT SSC AND ON THE ROAD:
THE SPEAR! UH gets back Brandon Spearman soon, rehabbing really intense, he is a medical miracle, Brandon, would help that 3 spot, his D, his BBIQ, intensity, go to rim, draw fouls, assists, every thing, HE IS THE GLUE TO THIS TEAM, when Spearman comes back, UH will be the REAL UH MBB team this year. Less we get too down on team, we know, they have to rebound better, better D by freshmen, Standhardinger needs head in the game, he is a warrior, have to play smart, HE WILL, With Brandon, Captain Spearman back, UH will be really clicking ..ease, rotation for AV and MT. Bummer that Brandon got sprain against BYUH, however, Nevels, Q, AV and MT, got valuable playing time, Brandon S. like an extension of Gib on the floor, plus, he is the one guy, that is physically able to match up with big athletic teams. Remember his game at SSC last year against Illinois, Brandon had 20 points, so many hustle plays, attacked the, rim and almost helped UH beat the Illini!
SPEAR; Come on back, you will be pretty soon. He is a difference maker. UH at 2-1 without him, is actually fantastic, as stated, l would like to see, realistically, UH at 11-3 or 10-4 minimum win loss record, before start of BWC conference play. They would be primed and ready. AV, MT, Enos, might be really ready by the, not playing scared, just a lot of ONE OHANA confidence. Not giving up on these guys, NMSU, just could not miss from the field, ridiculous shooting percentage, and there should have been better defense on Bhullar, getting those, point blank, 2 or 3 foot from basket, dunks, at least, get a defender or two hands, or body in the way of him, he doesn’t get those 6 dunks. He is a smart guy, however, if he went against, a frontline of 6’9″ 240-250 lb Kentucky, bigs, different story. He will be in NBA, maybe even after this year, if guaranteed lottery pick, HIS SIZE. He lacks conditioning though, too overweight, if he were 300 lbs like Shaq or Wilt Chamberlain, he would be awesome. nice guy though, Bhullar and baby 7’3″ brother Taveer, Mullins good Canadian friends with Negus. Definitely, Bhullar, girth wise, opposite of Shawn Bradley, who actually became a 3 point shooting center in the NBA!
Looking over Dayton’s beautiful hilites, there were a lot of moments, when UH just played, team ball, got up the floor, and made unselfish passes, that part the desire, to win, and no matter who gets the points, however have to REBOUND the ball off O and D boards as a team as Gib says..key..UH without Spear, looking much, much better, than last year’s team at this point!
Go Bows! Rainbows. Warriors!
Uhfanzonly1.
Uhfanzonly1.
We did not have a bull to defend their bull and we did not have any effective double teaming when Bhullar would get good position. Most of his points were point blank drops. He would have scored 50 if he was in better shape. This is one area we don’t have much experience in because Vander was always able to defend the paint well. If we come across more giants in the future we need to do a better job double or triple teaming. He is slow but he’s got great hands for a guy that size. He will be in the NBA one day to defend against a future Shaq.
servante: Curious, Gib built this team as more athletic, to compete with BWC teams. Though Irvine, is pretty Big too. Loss of Caleb Dressler, hurt. He has 5 fouls and can body up some. Sim is just, as you said, a load. If UH had Vander, that is where Vander belongs, down low block, he could alter, shot, or he was pretty good at picking off passes to Bigs inside. Something, as you say, UH will have to do, when going against more big teams further through this season.
Well, that is where Gib earns his paycheck, go back to drawing board, and scheme a D for the teams with bigs, Mizzou, another team, with athletic Bigs, a lot of them, and wings, perimeter , probably the best , or one of the best team’s UH will play this year. Actually, when you look at it, NMSU, Mizzou, Montana, DHC teams, UH has a pretty decent schedule, winnable at home, they almost caught up with NMSU, that is the Positive about that game, without an injured Spearman and ejected Shamburger.Without 2 of their projected starting guards on court, in last 7 min, UH with Nevels and Smith leading charge, and without that tech for No more Timeouts, who knows…what would have happened. Still servante, this team , the guards though slight, are so much more quicker, will go to the rim, even against bigger guys, or drive and dish, something that Jace, Jefferson,Clair, could not do consistently , or well last year. It is only 3 games into season, so ton of games left. UH will be okay, have to have better D against Bigger athletic teams, and TEAM rebound as Gib stated, This team Can Score, they are averaging over 83 pts per game, when is the last time a UH team, was one of the higher scoring teams in the land? Been a long time. I like this team, when Spearman comes back, team will be much, much better, Spear is the Glue!The Steady Influence, one of the Captains of the UH MBB ship , leading them to the NCAA’s.
Hey did anyone remember, that tomorrow, November 13 is the first day that early LOI recruits can sign?I think Isaac Flemings 6’3″ 190 lb combo guard is still a verbal commit, so he could sign tomorrow I guess.
With the situation of Bigs help, for possible 3 more scholies to offer, I think Gib has to look for at least 2 more 6’10” 245-250 lb, athletic, high flying, shot blocking, and excellent rebounding bigs, whether Juco , HS or international. Weird , as hoopsa alluded to, and Gib states, that is the weak area for UH now, the guys down low, they are playing with 2 PF’s basically. So having, in reality TWO Vander types, who can run, and pass the ball , make quicker decisions, D up and Rebound, will take UH to NCAA’s, and be able to do damage, actually win a couple of games in tourney, just my opinion. funny, how, UH got quicker , more athletic, which is great, even with addition of bigger and stronger for next year Negus, however, NOW, I believe, seeing what, the Big teams are doing to UH, Gib has to focus on getting quality Bigs, 4/5 athletic types, who are strong, and can run and jump, to help down low, Definitely, 4/5’s on recruiting shopping list now. Just my thought. What do you fans think? UH need, more size, and skill down low to bang with the Big Boys? Would help in years to come?
NCAA D1 Basketball (Early Period)LOI signing period:
November 13, 2013 till November 20, 2013
Stayed up super late, delayed next day affairs, still got up for work, however, game went down to the final 30 seconds. Happy that team made that comeback.
It was mentioned on several blog sites, SA, media, etc, that Rainbow Warriors could have defended better and rebounded better. This Aggie team were not shooting terribly well from 3 point land, for this game, they were shooting well enough, along with driving to the paint, and some mid range jumpers, to open up down low to Bhullar.
As servante, stated, UH does not have “The Bull”, or Bulls, just really physical Bigs. Rozitis, would have to be about 295 pounds of muscle, and have a great offensive skillset, to go one on one with Sim. Wish that Davis, had gained more weight instead of 240. Be about 265, and strong. He was impressive, when playing NMSU, bigs with Vander in foul trouble as Stan Sheriff Center few years ago. The infamous, standing ovation, when he fouled out in first half, He was trying to rebound and block all the other bigs shots.
Isaac, if you were there or watching live or DVR replay today, did a good job, rebounding, and getting offensive put backs, and just all out hustle. Wish Christian would do the same. AS many have stated here on this forum, there is a lot of room for improvement, however, I am sure, Gib would take 2-1 start, over 0-3 start going to Missouri this weekend. Love the new guards, Smith and Nevels, and agree with other fans here, UH play better Defense, and uptempo with purpose, and shoot the perimeter shots better, cannot jus be Nevels,who is turning out to be an excellent 3 point shooter, the Rainbow Warriors, will be fine. Look forward to exciting season, from this majority , very young experience wise team!!
Tweets
Isaac Fleming @Ballaslife410 10 Nov
Let’s go Hawaii starting off the season right 2-0 #WarriorNation can’t wait till next year !
Yea, us too Isaac. But even lose last night, as you can tell we not lose one bit of enthusiasm for this season. We are just starting to see Gibs vision. And I like it!
warriorhaw, you are a true UH Men’s Basketball fan! This team, first time I have seen in person, very hard working, never give up attitude. Gib has a good team. Just the experience and being on same page on offensive and defensive sets, as well as, since No real depth at 5 position, Team Rebounding. warriorhaw, I like this team, they look like the old Nash, Davis, Pennebacker, Freeman, Holiday team of forty some years ago, very unselfish, and that my friend, can win championships!
Shamburger, control your emotions , brother, we need you on the court not the bench and giving the other team the ball and chances at the foul line, you know better and I guess Gib will let you know that your actions will not be tolerated again. Come on Man, get it together and lead this team to the title game.! Warrior time, go to Kansas City and kick some a_ s.!!
Ok…. the preseason prediction of UC-Irvine as the Big West champs is turning out to be a complete joke. I raised both eyebrows when they were picked to win the conference, and my suspicions are proven. They lost to a bad Fresno St team at home and they just lost to Pacific who’s only going to be middle of the pack in the WCC.
Big West notes:
UC-Santa Barbara appears to be the team to beat this year. They hammered UNLV in Las Vegas yesterday. Alan Williams will contend for Big West POY. He was dominant and Boswell can really shoot the ball.
Long Beach will be tough again, but I don’t think Monson had a good recruiting class this offseason. They were soundly beaten by #6 Arizona (no surprise there)
Cal Poly looks shaky. They just lost to a very mediocre Nevada-Reno team at home and were also soundly beaten by #6 Arizona (again, not a surprise).
Cal Fullerton – no opinion yet. They blew out Montana St on the road, but it was Montana St. Any big road win is good.
Northridge – no real opinion yet as they were blown out by USC.
UC Davis looks bad. They were soundly beaten by a bottom half WCC team in Portland.
UC Riverside was outclassed by SDSU. Not expecting much from Riverside this year.
The Big West doesn’t look very strong this year as a whole. I think the door is wide open for Hawaii to contend for the league title.
Over the 3 games so far… The big thing UH needs to work on is finishing around the rim. Way too many missed shots at short range.
Some misses don’t count because there was a foul, but there have been at least 5 misses each game without much contact around the rim. The bigs should be able to finish if there’s no arm contact.
Just making the short ones is an extra 8-10 points and sets up the full court pressure UH is now running.
Former UH Athlete: Thanks for your summary of BWC pre conference teams and wins/ losses. I agree, finishing for the Bigs around the rim, sometimes, UH is not going against a quick shot blocker, like Wil Davis II, that guy can swat a lot of stuff, Isaac, and Christian should make those near basket buckets, sometimes they make great moves to basket, however if cannot get 2 pts, for naught.
Agree too, BWC, for UH, with healthy Spearman back, is winnable, for UH. I think, UH, shot better, Rebounded better against the Aggies, UH would have won. If they had Spearman and Shamburger for entire game, UH wins, at SSC and neutral court.
FUHA, team is young, we have to like the effort of Smith and Nevels, I mean, they almost brought the team back for a win, without Shamburger and Spearman, That is a huge upside, and those guys will just keep on getting better. AV and MT, have to up their games too. Cannot just be a few points and rebounds between them, since they are getting a lot of PT now, they have to combine for maybe 16 pts 12 rebounds, a couple of steals and blocks, as well as hilite reel, plays, to energize. I UH MBB team, just keeps on improving, learning to turn weak areas into strengths, UH will be right there in top 3, at BWC tourney time , with a legitmate chance to dance!
Go Rainbow Warriors, be super competitive at Mizzou, we know it will be tough, however, don’t let game slip away into a rout, keep working the D, rebound, shoot well, and who knows, it would be a huge upset, on neutral court in Kansas City, that Arena, is first class!Go Bows!
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UH MBB , team, still a huge ceiling, guys, keep getting better, hit weight room, keep playing as a team, which you are, I love that, totally unselfish team!!
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Mizzou basketball, big, good , athletic, UH has nothing to lose, everything to gain. I believe UH will get a good payout for playing in Sprint Center, man, I checked prices of tickets, 28 dollars to 91 dollars, Wow, much more then SSC! From Mizzou Basketball site:
1 Wes Clark 6-0 171 G FR Detroit, Mich./Romulus H.S.
2 Tony Criswell 6-9 240 F RS SR Oklahoma City, Okla./Independence C.C.
3 Johnathan Williams, III 6-9 208 F FR Memphis, Tenn./Southwind H.S.
4 Corey Haith 5-10 174 G SO Miami, Fla./Rock Bridge (Mo.)
5 Jordan Clarkson 6-5 193 G RS JR San Antonio, Texas/Tulsa
10 Deuce Bello 6-4 177 G JR Greensboro, N.C./Baylor
11 Shane Rector 6-1 171 G FR Bronx, N.Y./South Kent School (Conn.)
24 Torren Jones 6-8 234 F FR Chandler, Ariz./La Lumiere School (Ind.)
25 Zach Price 6-10 250 F JR Cleveland, Ohio/Louisville
31 Danny Feldmann 6-9 225 F RS JR Jefferson City, Mo./Columbia
32 Jabari Brown 6-5 214 G RS JR Oakland, Calif./Oregon
33 Earnest Ross 6-5 228 G RS SR Cary, N.C./Auburn
35 Stefan Jankovic 6-11 242 F SO Mississauga, Ontario/Huntington Prep
42 Hayden Barnard 6-10 215 F FR Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley H.S.
44 Ryan Rosburg 6-10 252 F SO Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette H.S.
45 Keanau Post 6-11 268 F JR Victoria, British Columbia/Southwestern Illinois C.C.
Would need perfect game, and shooting unreal from 3 point line, and if possible, going be hard, to out run, and gun Tigers. If UH got win, sheesh, huge. Just keep it close and respectable, and prime UH for a long home stand, in SSC and on Lihue Kauai, before, going to N. Arizona Flagstaff, 7000ft elevation, later!
FUHA — All-Time Great Coach John Wooden FOCUSED on Making ALL Five-Footers (on in)…
Make Those and You WIN A LOT of Games
With The Right ʻFocusʻ — Keep Your Eyes On the RIM
Many Athletes Are Looking Away when they Miss,
just like Receivers (in Football) or Baseball Fielders “Looking the Ball IN”
OF COURSE, “SOME” of That Distraction
are the 6-11 & 7-5 Man-Mountains Moving TOWARD YOU…
——
Part of The Mizzou Puzzle/Problem is that…
“Many of those Athletes ARE Aaron-Valdes Class Leapers Flyin All Over the Place…”
(Iʻll CREDIT Andy Valdes for that Comment — Aaronʻs Dad — who along with ʻMomʻ ARE BIG College BB Fans, and were in Honolulu this weekend …)
Eagle, servante, FUHA, warriorhaw, and fellow fans: The more I think about UH MBB team, their performances from BYUH exhibition, till the NMSU game….there is something special about this team. They are A TEAM. When Spearman goes down, Valdes, MT, try best to replace. Shamburger gets ejected from game, Nevels and Smith step it up. And Fotu, if you look back at video hilites of NMSU, game, his effort was a first team ALL BWC worthy game.
Therefore: UH going up with game plan, scheme for Mizzou game. They will be double digit underdogs, playing in front of rabid Mizzou Tiger fans. ESPN3 stream, available, possibly USA and worldwide if they have coverage. Read from Brian M. that Spearman back at practice, the heart and soul of team..
Christian, will be at his UC Santa Barbara game effort of last year. UH perimeter, guys start hitting consistenly from 3, besides Nevels who is a legitimate 47% 3 ball shooter, team defense, have to win Rebound war, or stay even. Against a Goliath, David wins..
Just something about this TEAM. I pick , if Spearman is healthy enough to contribute 10 or 12 quality minutes, to affect winning, UH by 4 pts, in upset of the season in NCAA MBB. What have, they, UH , got to lose? Nothing. in fact with a Big Payout for coming to Missouri to play this game, UH will win financially, and they pull off the win, HUGE.
Don’t know if UH MBB team, Christian, Brandons, Garrett, Davis, Isaac, Q, MT, AV, Enos, and maybe Gib uses Jovanovich for fouls, the guy can block some shots, get some rebounds, has to be tough, or tougher, NCAA D1 transition and knowing UH system..UH wins 84-80….
As I say, my opinion, what has this very, very SPECIAL TEAM, no ego trippers, self centered guys, ONE OHANA got to lose? Nothing, as Nevels said, put it all out on the court…warrior beats a tiger!
Go Bows!
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Don’t know if UH MBB team, Christian, Brandons, Garrett, Davis, Isaac, Q, MT, AV, Enos, read our blogs, I don’t think so, maybe hear through grapevine, However, this team , they are winners already in attitude, they will be back, and we die hard Rainbow Warrior Fans got THEIR BACKS..sure huge task, however they got nothing to lose, everything to gain, just balls to the walls!
Rainbow Warrior time, tame the Tigers!
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Well….pre Mizzou road trip good news!! Isaac Flemings, signed and faxed his LOI on Nov 13 2013, the early signing period!
Welcome aboard for 2014, Isaac, a 6’3″ 190 3 star athlete with 4 years to play at UH!
Wonder if a PF will be next , or an athletic Center?
Good job recruiting Gib and staff and team for showing Isaac a good visit!
Go Bows!!
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Sorry, Isaac Fleming! Not Flemings…apologies!
Thank you for becoming a Rainbow Warrior!
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playhoopsa… had to do a double take when I saw Stefan Jonkovic on Mizzou’s roster… thought it was same Stefan Jovanovic on UH for a second.
Stefan must be a popular name in that part of the world.
Just too bad Mizzou wasn’t on next year’s schedule and NWC could reign terror on his old team.