UPDATED: Warriors upset first-place UC Irvine
The University of Hawai’i basketball team is in just its second season in the Big West Conference, and now it has a “remember that one?” victory to its name.
The Warriors rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half, sent the game to overtime on an improbable buzzer-beater, and then got A gritty performance from all five starters in overtime in a 90-86 upset of first-place UC Irvine.
A UC Irvine homecoming crowd of 4,305 at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., walked out in silence as the Warriors snapped the Anteaters’ six-game winning streak.
Hawai’i improved to 14-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big West with its third consecutive victory, including two on this road trip. The Anteaters dropped to 13-8 and 4-1.
“There’s always two or three times in your coaching career where you remember that locker room, and I’ll remember this locker room for a long time,” head coach Gib Arnold said during his post-game radio interview. “It was a lot of fun in there tonight.”
For the second consecutive game, the Warriors got a fabulous five performance from their starters. In this game:
• Sophomore forward Isaac Fotu scored a career-high 30 points, including 16 in the second half and four in overtime. He connected on 13 of 16 shots from the field – most of them from the 12- to 15-foot range along the baselines. He also grabbed six rebounds as the Warriors out-rebounded the Anteaters, 40-32.
• Junior guard Garrett Nevels scored 19 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:05 remaining in overtime.
• Junior point guard Keith Shamburger had 17 points, a season-high 11 assists, five rebounds and just three turnovers. He sent the game to overtime with an off-balance 3-pointer between two defenders from top of the key that went in with 0.3 seconds remaining. He also hit the game-securing free throws in the closing seconds of overtime, and got a post-game interview on the ESPN3 broadcast.
“It means a lot – about to put me in tears just thinking about it,” Shamburger said, referring to his aunt’s funeral on Friday in Southern California. “Yesterday was a tough day, I wasn’t even with the team. I came back out here and I told the guys let’s win this game.”
• Senior forward Christian Standhardinger contributed 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
• Senior guard Brandon Spearman tallied 10 points and five rebounds.
All told, the five Hawai’i starters accounted for all 90 points in the game, and played the entire overtime period together.
“The guys really picked it up and played with great passion, great intensity, and never gave up,” Arnold said. “We made all the right plays at the end of the game.”
The Warriors also made all the right plays at the start of the game, shooting 8 for 8 from the field to build a 19-9 lead in the first five minutes. However, the Anteaters closed the first half with a 15-2 run – including a running 3-pointer from 35 feet away by Alex Young as the halftime horn sounded – to take a 43-38 advantage at intermission.
UC Irvine increased the lead to 61-51 midway through the second half, thanks in part to its two-three zone defense that featured 7-foot-6 freshman Mamadou Ndiaye in the middle. The Warriors countered it by spotting up Fotu in the corners for open jumpers.
“(Ndiaye) was too slow and he never came out,” Arnold said. “Fotu just had to make or miss that little 15-foot shot. (Ndiaye) stayed inside all night and Fotu hit that shot all night.”
One of those jumpers by Fotu cut the UC Irvine lead to 77-75 with 35 seconds remaining in the second half. UC Irvine’s Travis Souza then hit one of two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to make it 78-75.
On Hawaii’s ensuing possession, a 3-point attempt by Nevels was blocked out of bounds, but the Warriors maintained the ball with 5.6 seconds remaining. Shamburger got the ball at the top of the key and then launched his prayer shot that got answered. After each of his shots during this game, he pointed to the sky in tribute to his aunt.
The Warriors took the lead for good in overtime at 87-86 on a floater by Nevels with 1:05 remaining. Shamburger then went 3 for 4 from the free-throw line in the final 22 seconds for the final margin. Hawaii ended the overtime period on a 7-0 run.
“We just have to keep showing people how good we are.,” Shamburger said. “We have doubters, but at the end of the season, we want to turn everybody into believers.”
Six Anteaters finished with double-figure points, led by Alex Young’s 14. Ndiaye finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, but played just 22 minutes before fouling out. He shot 5 for 5 from the field, increasing his streak of consecutive made field goals to 25 (one short of the NCAA record).
(Game photos courtesy Warren Haraki)
Saturday’s Big West results
Hawai’i 90, UC Irvine 86 (OT)
Long Beach State 76, Cal State Northridge 62
UC Riverside 61, Cal Poly 58
Cal State Fullerton 74, UC Santa Barbara 72
Current Big West records
UC Irvine 4-1
Cal Poly 4-2
Hawai’i 3-2
Long Beach State 3-2
UC Santa Barbara 3-2
Cal State Fullerton 2-3
Cal State Northridge 2-4
UC Riverside 2-4
UC Davis 1-4
AWESOME!
SHUGARS!!! UNREAL WIN, GOOD JOB UH MBB TEAM!!
Shooots, against the Best team in the league, top to bottom, great defenders rebounders, best shot blocking big, 100% from field however 38% FT shooter,Good job coach Arnold,
Shoooots, Great , 808 Win, fans, cheerup!
Welcome home team and Jamie Smith
Fotu, Spearman, Nevels, Shamburger, Standhardinger, great starting 5 game, and key subs by Gib!
GREAT WIN, GUYS! Time for the casual fans to jump on the bandwagon and Jamie Smith to saddle up the Manoa Maniacs. Come Thursday, WE RIDE!
Awesome DK . Derek , fly EAGLE, your prose is needed now. Isaac, Tavs, TribeVx4,, warriorhaw, jjay, hfan09, everyone, AWESOME win!
Go Rainbows.!
Tonganator, All Region, first team BWC POY play by Isaac!
Go Bows…..
ESPN worldwide , island wide audience!
😀
I listened to the game on espn radio. Does anyone know where I can watch a replay? I’m not subscribed to espn3 so that’s not an option for me. Thanks!
Great Win ! Like coach said, The Team got together, pulled everyone into a huddle, encouraged each other, and went out and performed as a team. It’s something that stays with you. Great job guys. Go Bows !!
Good job Bobby Curan ! Good radio broadcast ! Very exciting !
Very proud of Coach, staff, Benjy Taylors great scout, the effort, the Fab Five of 21st early century. This team, they stay together, play sound, never say die. It might have started, as someone else mentioned, when UH almost won the game at Northridge two weeks ago!
Great, great ROAD win, tears come to the eyes of old time, old guy and gal fans of UH BB!
Go Bows.
Uhfanzonly1.
Ealge, as hoopsa says, do your haiku thing, Poetry, and prose , praise of these fantastic warriors!
The whole Fotu Ohana watched the game on ESPN3. Awesome W for the team!!! Amazing effort. Enjoy the flight back to Hawaii, and looking forward for the next games at home.
GO THE MIGHTY WARRIORS
Amazing!!! This team is LEGIT! When Shamburger is on, there’s NO stopping this team!! Going into the territory of the #1 team in conference and dropping 90 on them for the W, it doesn’t get any better than that!! Seriously, what an amazing night. The guys must be flying right now, kudos to them and sticking in it in a game of runs and ups and downs…holy smokes. Biggest win a decade, I say! Spearman drawing first blood, Nevels and Shamburger being clutch all game, Fotu hitting shot after shot, Standhardinger w/the big time plays…speechless, is all, seriously speechless! SO proud of our WARRIORS, look out Big West!! Time for the 4 – 0 homestand to seize first place in conference play, Let’s GO BOWS!!!!!!
GET EXCITED HAWAII!! UH BASKETBALL IS HERE AND ROLLING!!!!!!
fair weather fan here haha Awesome win!! Big island Hank how much minutes Enos went play this road trip?
JMHO buddy.
Isaac was unstoppable. Nevels had ice in his veins. Shamburger had nothing but heart. Awesome win!
Just thought Benjy, Gib, that hack a Mamadou, worked, not the most skilled FT or offensive player, except, good shot blocker, rebounder and dunker. Yep, that helped that Mamadou, missed those FT’s, Keith’s big shot, Nevels, mid range game, floaters when not hot from 3 line, Fotu awesome, back door lobs, right over the backside of Mamadou, incredible, what the starters did.
My old post:”Key: UH starting 5 stay out of foul trouble, take care of ball, shoot good shots, out run and uptempo Irvine, run away from the Big Guy, box, out, and give it Boom 100% effort, whatever you need to get W, Hope Rozitis, Smith, Valdes, Thomas, Jovanovich, Enos, can provide some extra points and rest for starters. Hey if Jovanovich and Rozitis, can hack a shack attack the 7’6″ big, might be a try, he is not a great FT shooter, however you never know, he might hit 4 for 4 key ones. UH just have fun, and give max effort, you have two championships to play for, Regular season crown, and the Big One, the BWC tourney championship!
Go Rainbow Warrior MBB team, Give the Irvine Anteaters, a Hill of Effort, and a defeat”
Win Bows, and the Did!!
I’d say this game ranks top ten in UHM basketball history. The starting five played superb. Career games from Isaac, Keith, and Garret. Road win against the conference best, a hot team, their homecoming game, a 7’6 goliath—I’m a believer! We are right there in the race.
I said it before and I’ll say it again… Isaac Fotu is completely un-guardable 1on1. His mid range jumper was on full display tonight. Fotu is one of the most efficient scorers I’ve ever seen. He’s just awesome. Through only a season and a half, I will firmly say that Fotu will be the best forward UH has ever had.
When Things started to slip away, I got worried because Fotu barely touched the ball the last 9 min of the first half, and the offense bogged down vs UCI’s 2-3 zone, but to Gib’s credit, the offense flowed through Fotu early in the 2nd and Fotu was in the zone all the way through.
I was a little surprised that UH didn’t auto-foul Ndiaye earlier whenever he was able to catch the ball… On several of his dunks he had defenders around but they didn’t go for the ball. Ndiaye is a pathetic 38% FT shooter. Make him hit free throws otherwise it’s an automatic dunk if he gets the ball in the paint. UH has 10 fouls to spend on Ndiaye with Rozitis and Jovanovic. Gib needs to hack a Ndiaye anytime he gets the ball in the paint on the return game at SSC. And by hack, I mean hard shots across the wrists and foreams of Ndiaye to prevent the dunk attempt.
Plus, with Ndiaye being so tall, he can easily pick up flagrant fouls for high elbows… More reason to try and tie up his long arms to see if he flails an elbow when untangling himself. As long as it doesn’t look grossly intentional, the worst that can happen is you let him shoot FTs at his 38% clip.
—
I give Nevels a ton of credit for the win tonight. He was off on the 3pt shots, but he stayed aggressive and started to attack inside and was absolutely money on the pull-ups and floaters.
ʻBOWS Come Through!
FIGHT Through!
UC Irvine FoʻReal
Ranked in Mid-Major TOP 15
BUT UHMBB Statement MADE
Notice Served
Road WARRIORS SWEEP
Four-Game Position Climbing Home-Stand Opportunity Next…
BIG WEST: DO YOU Still See US as a Top SIX(?) Bottom Half Team?
Expect UHMBB Team to Keep Improving
NOW FOTU CAN Even Dominate On The Road
Three, Four, Five or More Players WILL Come Through Every Game
As Christian is Fond of saying,
“Too Much Talent, Too Many Weapons…”
THIS Team WILL WIN Many More Games…
Coming Into Saturday…
TOP Three UC Irvine, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara…
ALL LOST Tonight
So Word to the Wise, ‘Bows
Don’t Take The Four-Game Homestand for Granted
Just Like Tonight… A Good UHMBB Trend
40+ Minutes Each Night of Top-Intensity BBall
Could Take This Team to THE TOP of The BWC Standings
Where The Team Believed They Belong
And Now They’re Proving It
UHMBB Team ‘Learning’ How to WIN
First @ Home …Come Up Just Short VS Boise, Then Beat a Better St. Mary’s
Then On The Road… Just Short VS Northridge, Then Beat A Better Irvine
Now Looking for A Dominance-Establishing STREAK…
‘BOWS Takin’ Care of Business…
Focused, Top Intensity, Improving Seemingly By-The-Minute…
Hanging 90+ On Three Straight Conference Opponents…
Winning All Three Going Away…
Elevating… Back On The Climbing, Improving Trend
A Great Place To Be
And We Fans Get to “Ride Along”
Making Their Own “Luck”
Irvine Played a Very Good Game
BUT UH Better, Even @ Irvine
Starting to Display the Signs of a Legitimately Really Good Team…
A Tight Team
That Hangs Tough Together
And IS IMPROVING
EX1: Just Shamburger’s Improvement Would Make a Big Difference
EX2: BUT So Would Fotu’s
EX3: Spearman And Nevels WILL Keep Improving
EX4: Aaron Valdés ‘A’ Game IS About to Kick In
EX5: Quincy WILL Improve By Leaps and Bounds…
EX6: The Whole Bench WILL Become A Bigger Factor…
I Think The Big West IS In Trouble
Maybe Some of Them CAN Keep Up…
IF SO, Good for Them, Too…
whats crazy???….nevels no free throws, spearman only 2 attempts made 1, stanhardinger missed 4 out of 10, 3 pointers stan with none, spearman took 9 made only 3, nevels took 6 made only 1, total 6-22 from 3 is horrible….the most horrible stat is that the bench didn’t score a single point….just with that being said without watching a single second I’d think they’d lost….other than that good job on winning on the road
GREAT WIN TONIGHT!!!
PACK THE HOUSE ON THURSDAY AND SAT vs LONG BEACH AND NORTHRIDGE!!!
SHOW EM WHAT A REAL ARENA IS LIKE!!!
oops, too much caps, but sorry, that was a HUGE win tonight!
So very proud of our team for pulling out this huge win! I listened to the game on the radio and later watched the game on ESPN3 via the internet. It was amazing to watch! We need to make sure we win our upcoming home games and UH will be on the top! I’m really happy for Shamburger for being able to honor his Aunt. I love this team! Go Bows!!!
hawaiifan09: yeah, you are right, with those type of stats, UH you would think would have lost…however hawfan09…what counts to these guys, and the entire bench, the coaches, and the UH fans, through the years, a Win, is a Win, is a Win, is a Win, hey, hfan, if UH can win like this over the next 11 games, they win the league, and have a chance to dance by winning BWC tournament.
I guess …you are right, they are going to need production from Valdes, Smith, Jovanovich, Rozitis, Thomas, Enos, the bench has to produce 12-16 pts a game, to give starters a rest, so they don’t burn out, at end of season. They will get there, this home stand as Eagle says, is very critical, one game at a time, as others say, and one win at a time.
hawfan09, hey Enjoy the moment, was glad for Keith , hard time, rough time for him, plus his hip was all taped, up still suffering from the hip flexor injury, he is a real PG leader for the team, when he is going good, the team runs really well, that starting 5, probably the best in BWC right now, however , true the bench has to step, up, for advancing in BWC tourney and Post Season play.
A Sweet win, hfan, and as you said, UH , BWC punish them, have them play first 4 out of 5 on road, they get the home win, then they SWEEP this road trip, awesome, enjoy the next home game, should have good crowd, and Jamie Smith can coordinate the interest with the Maniacs again, just hope the second rotation guys are ready, they need PT too , I agree.
Great , great win, as someone else posted, best win in past , maybe decade, since, UH beat MSU at SCC.
Go Rainbow WARRIORS!
😀
I agree with playhoopsa, just enjoy the moment hfan. Those starters played 40+ minutes of tough, upbeat pressing action and deserve to enjoy the win. I can’t think of a recent team that could have played that hard for that long on the road without getting gassed by the end (or midway even). Great, great win!
I couldn’t be more happy for these guys. What a massive turnaround from the last road trip!
Also, TAVS, if you can get on the University wifi, all colleges have a free pass to ESPN3.
So happy. 😀
bowsoverhoes,
It’s a time for us to celebrate and enjoy.
Looking forward to the most exciting home stand in a while.
Go Warriors!
Phenomenal win. Huge kudos to the team & coaches, and thanks to the commenters for sharing their morning-after joy.
If anyone missed Keith Shamburger’s divine and improbable 3-ball to send the game to OT, it’s up on YouTube, paired with Irvine’s equally long-shot (!) 3-pointer to end the half.
Sorry I can’t embed the link, but the title contains the words “The BANK is open,” as well as “MBB Hawai’i Irvine,” though not in that order, and the video shows the shots several times each.
Special Thanks to Keith Shamburger
We Feel for the Loss of Your Aunt
Yet You Honor Her Love and Memory
Above All
Even Basketball
It is Widely Experienced
Sometimes Related and Conveyed
That Departing Spirits
Find Ways to Reach to and
Gift The Loved Ones they’re ‘Leaving Behind’
To Credit Your Aunt for Helping
With Your “GOD” Shot
Is to See Her in All Great Things You Love
I’ve Watched Your Game-Tying
Overtime Forcing Shot Over and Over
Reflecting on ‘All’ the Crazy And GUTSY
Shots i’ve Ever Seen
How you Squeezed That Big Basketball Between, Up And Through
The Tangle of TWO BIGS’ Bodies, Arms and Hands All Flailing to Tip, Grab, Slam the Ball Out of Your Hands
And Then Still Deftly Guide it Toward the Backboard and Basket
Before the Red Lights Flashed And Through the Net
MAYBE You should have been Awarded a Four-Point-Play Opportunity
AND Just WIN It Right then and there…
And Maybe Better, You Help Lead the Team to a
7-0 Finish and Four Point Overtime WIN
Thank YOU
For The Infinite Focus and Love of Basketball
AND Sharing Your Aunt, Family and ‘Ohana
As You are With Your Teammates
YOU are a Perfect Example
Of The Strength, Trust, Focus and Results Possible
In The Synergy, The Total Sum So Much Greater than The Parts
Combined and Amplified Strength
of ‘Ohana and
ALL the Great Qualities It Encompasses
Mahalo Keith and Aunty and Family
And TEAM
ONE
‘Ohana
Ho’okahi No ‘Ohana
Mahalo e Amene
Thanks, Kepola
Dayton, THAT LINK ought to be in the WI.com Permanent “Hall of HONOR”
[MAYBE Next to Garrett Jefferson’s Game Winning Drive and
Tes Whitlock’s “PLEASE STAND UP, Everybody!, BYU Dagger”]
hawaiifan 09…agree with Sarconic and playhoopsa, Enjoy The Big Moment…how many times, UH has been on the OTHER side of those wins, heart breaking last second, tip ins, or 3 pt shots at buzzer to beat them, or going to OT and losing, other team dominates.
Now, UH fans, …that Beach workouts, the NCAA supervised, individual workouts, and the strength and conditioning of the team, especially the starting five, helped them too. They are super athletes, in great shape, despite, Shamburger hip flexor injury, and loss of auntie, Fotu, MCL tear, and broken hand, and I am sure the guys are all exhausted and banged up, however, the will and ability to win, this team , they are learning. As was brought up by Eagle and others, UH Men Basketball team, has to keep on getting stronger, to finish , A LOT of games left, 11 leauge, so still have to push to finish in that top 3 spots, With help of Bench, I believe this team with larger home crowds will be even more prolific!
hawaii 09…and all Warrior, Rainbow fans, Bow fans, ENJOY a Great Moment for that day, then we move on to getting , perhaps, top to bottom the most talented D1 NCAA team in the league the LBSU 49ers!
hawaiifan09 – did you see Irvine’s stats? UH’s are better.
Youtube video of the buzzer beaters now posted at top. Enjoy.
Since there’s always room for improvement… UH needs to shore up their backside help rotations. UCI was getting a ton of layups because the secondary help was not rotating over to cover the 2nd pass.
On several possessions that ended in UCI layups… The on-ball defender gets beat, then the next guy to help gets screened by the UCI player. The end result was uncontested layups.
Also, UH needs to knock down their open 3’s. UH was executing well, and got the open shot, but they just weren’t going in. They just have to keep firing.
I have been very impressed with UH’s execution after timeouts all season. This year’s squad have been doing a great job in creating good looks after a break.
DAYTON!
U Da Best…Big Time…
SERIOUSLY!
…and THIS Hawai’i Program
IS Elevating To Match…
If you live in Oahu… there’s no excuse for not going to the SSC the next two weeks. Anything less than 7,500 on the Thursday games will be a major disappointment. Anything under 8,500 on the Saturday games would be embarrassing.
I know the Bren center is only a little over 4,000 seats, but there were way more students at the game than at any UH home game. Plus, they were way louder than our student section. There’s got to be a way to get students to show up at the SSC. Their tickets are free (well… already paid for) so there’s no extra cost to enter the SSC.
I will say that the loyal fans at the SSC seem to be much more lively this year than in years past. SSC can be a very intimidating place to play if there’s over 7,500 people there.
BIG, BIG WIN!!! Now the Rainbow Warriors have the BWC schedule on their side. They will be playing 7 of the remaining 11 BWC games at the SSC. That will be a huge advantage. Now Irvine has to face the Rainbow Warriors at the SSC. Coach Gib just needs to work on getting some bench scoring for the Rainbow Warriors to be really hard to beat, especially at home.
Reggie Jackson holds the record for the most career strikeouts. But that’s not what people remember him for. When it mattered, when the game was on the line, Jackson rose to the occasion. That’s why he’s called Mr. October because he came through when they needed him. Same with UHMB game last night. We missed a few free throws and shots during the game and the stats don’t look great. But when it mattered—I’m talking toward’s the end of the buzzers—the clutch plays of Isaac, Keith, Garret and the rest produced the win. You can play better ball in a blow out but that’s nothing compared to a game with high stakes and a difficult team. And how the team fought back to tie the game and eventually win it in overtime, playing on the road against a tough opponent. This is truly a momentous game fellow fans, and I am hoping will be the catalyst for this team to go where no UHMB team has gone before.
Former UH Athlete,
The student section last season was awesome under Jamie’s guidance.
Would be awesome if WE could do something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUAZ6HYVyRk
I estimate the cost would be less than $115 for 10,300 (SSC capacity) sheets of paper since you can buy a box of 5,000 sheets for around $35.
Great win. Would anyone know the best way to purchase tickets for the Big West Tournaments? Is anyone else going? Does UH usually sell?
MAHALO Dayton for the YOUTUBE video of THE CLUTCH SHOT OF THE GAME! Fantastic performances by Isaac, Keith, and Garret. The mid-range shooting by Isaac & Garret really was key in the comeback in regulation. That seems to be the key when playing against Irvine with their 7’6″ center in the line-up. If he comes up to cover Isaac, then it opens up the lane for drives by Christian and company. They have to pick their poison! CHALLENGE TO THE FAIR-WEATHER FANS OF UHMBB: This is the homestead (4-games) to come on out to the SSC and help our team on their push to the top of the Big West!
all I was saying was that our stats was out of the ordinary and we still won….stats isn’t everything but says a lot
Thursday is a really big/hard game against a very good long beach state team…if we win this one I really hope to get 7000+ fans at the game saturday
The cool thing about ESPN3 is that you can watch a replay is still in the system
This is a cool, satisfying win. These guys play with energy, determination and a lot of heart.
Go Warriors!
hawaiifan09:
Cool……….I guess all we is saying: You happy team winning and playing exciting ball right? I know you are happy, you are a real student of the game, you know basketball. Great to have you as fellow fan on this forum, hfan09, mahalo, for your comments.
This has to be one of the most exciting teams, that uptempo game, since Fab Five., hope too, that those that can make it, and I do think the students will come out..will be well over 7000 by Saturday nite, they win against LBSU, pretty sure, probably 8000+ might be in the house!
Glad that I picked THIS game to be my first Hawaii away game to attend! It was awesome!
Valerie, that’s great. Do you have any pics you could share with us? Like Hawaii fans and family that attended? ESPN3 really didn’t show the Hawaii fans. You guys must have been Happy Happy Happy!!
…and gib and staff out coached the irvine coaches.
oh, two of the like?
palolowarrior and now Palolo Warrior?
warriorha-the StarAdvertiser photographer was there photographing the fans. I am hoping that he can share those pics with Dayton. He was taking pics from the floor to capture the entire Hawaii section. I only took a few pics since I was mostly jumping up and down screaming. Made me wonder how Dayton can capture video shots so well, with such a steady hand. We had our section rocking.
I posted my comments on the next WI post, but here it is again to get you all in the feel from what it felt like from my angle:
I attended my first UH Men’s bball game away and what a game to be at! Walked in as soon as the doors opened at 5:30pm through the crowds of students attending home coming. I was the ONLY one wearing green as I walked through the sea of homecoming attendees.
The gym was a bit intimidating to have so many Irvine students and supporters in the stands. Then UH families and supporters came in and filled in the whole section behind the bench!
It was a cool beginning and ending because the Hawaii section was chanting and cheering louder than the Irvine cheerleaders! We did the “defense” clap clap cheer, then “Let’s go Warriors” clap, clap, clap, clap, clap. Then we high fived everyone when the game was over as they ran into the locker room.
I got to speak with Brandon Spearman’s mom, high five Christian’s family, and hug Keith’s mom after he drained that awesome basket. The best part of this win was sharing the moment with all of the families and fans.
Even though I was at the game, I have already rewatched the ending twice! So exciting! Great job Warrior men!
ESPN3 couldn’t capture the Hawaii section as all of their cameras were directly behind us, pointed at the court. The Hawaii section was directly behind the Hawaii bench. That’s why the camera shots were across at the student section and at the coaches when they were on the court. If you rewatch the game, you can see Brandon Spearman’s mom wearing her bright green “H” shirt when the basket camera panned to the Hawaii bench. Everyone to the left, above and below her were the Hawaii fans.