Filipovich putting in OT work; Reyes to transfer
Niko Filipovich might be a redshirt freshman with the University of Hawai’i basketball team, but that doesn’t mean he has to accept waiting his turn to earn playing time.
“I’m not selfish, but if I have a chance to play, I’m going to take it,” the 6-foot guard said. “I’m going to do whatever this team needs me to do. If that’s play defense, lock down their best defender, move the ball, spread the floor with my open shot … that’s what I gotta do.”
For the first 10 games of this season, Filipovich has played a limited role off the bench. But recent injuries to Negus Webster-Chan (ankle) and Quincy Smith (thumb) have created openings in recent practices, and Filipovich has been putting in overtime work in an effort to earn more time.
After practices, Filipovich has been working on his ball-handling and shooting. “I just gotta stay ready and do whatever the team needs me to do,” he said.
In addition to taking his basketball role seriously, Filipovich is also taking his academics seriously. His course schedule this semester includes accounting, political science, American studies, information and computer science (ICS), and kinesiology and rehabilitation science (KRS).
“It’s more important than anything,” he said. “When the ball stops bouncing, I gotta have something else to rely on, and me working hard in school is definitely going to pay off in the end.”
— — — — — — —
REYES WILL TRANSFER TO JUCO IN FLORIDA
A highly-touted recruit is ending his run with the University of Hawai’i without ever having played a game as a Warrior.
Freshman forward Sammis Reyes said Monday night that he will transfer out of UH after this semester. His plan is to enroll at Palm Beach State, a junior college in Lake Worth, Florida, in January.
Reyes is originally from Chile, but attended North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. He expressed a desire to be closer to family and friends in Florida as a reason for the transfer.
His departure brings to an end a short and frustrating stay at Hawai’i. He suffered a broken toe during preseason workouts, and then announced that he would transfer in the immediate days following the abrupt dismissal of former head coach Gib Arnold – who played a key role in the recruitment of Reyes.
He changed his mind a few weeks later and rejoined the team, but then suffered a broken hand during a practice before he could even suit up for a game.
Next man up aloha oe to Sammis
Jjay:
Amen to that. Agreed. Sammis aloha and best to you. The fourteen guys remaining, when you watch who is on the court at SSC, Jjay, they are going to play hard, together, and remain united. Love this group. Exciting ball, and winning games. Just have all the students and Maniacs come out and support the team
Niko Filopovich, Another High Character, Dont’ Give Up guy.. he will help UH MBB team win a lot of games. He is winner on and off the court.
Go Rainbow Warriors !
🙂
Filipovich,,,great attitude. Pretty sure he’ll help the team this year with defense and shooting.
Cal Poly beats San Francisco by 7 at Dons home court. Led most of game and by as much as 14. Common opponent
With the lost of Sammis, AD or whomever, has to make a decision on coaching situation. With the lost of players and recruitment ongoing, some form of continuity has to be established. If not, recruiting maybe a bust for next season. What do you guys think?
This is where BM and DR, as the news guys can assist for the betterment of the program. When things surface on the Media, no one can plea ignorance. -thoughts
tako, that topic has been discussed here and of course there are still no answers from UH. You are right, I think you can already consider the recruiting for next year a bust and by my count they now have three scholarships to fill. One for Nevels after he grads, one for Fotu, and now one for Reyes.
Benjy himself said he has to answer the same questions about the program direction from recruits and the families and he has no specific answers. The early letter period already past and UH probably being put down by all the other recruiters from rival schools going after kids now telling them that UH administration out to kill the program.
The media already said the NCAA announcements were coming in middle of November and here it is middle of December already so I don’t know what to believe any more. That just shows how bad and inaccurate all the rumors are.
I forgot to say aloha to Sammis … again. I really wish he would of stuck it out here even if he have to redshirt this year. I think he had potential to become a fan favorite in the future years with that big body and power dunks! Maybe like Eagle said in the other comments, maybe Sammis change his mind yet again and come back to UH after spending some time at junior college.
Thank you and for reminding me that this issue has been discussed previously, Thought that in this case the media could facilitate and accelerate the process. There’s an old saying, “if you want to eat, come to the table.” If the same concerns keep coming up, decisions or at least temporary answers come quicker.
The decision makers I’ve read don’t normally read these blogs, however, others do, just maybe as the numbers increase and pressure builds, just maybe those who can, will DO. JMO: We definitely can’t wait until June for a New AD.
Dis the season to be jolly….
Chuck….the person (s) calling the shots…whomever..affected football support, monies, fans…even shoji wvb program , loss of wong assistant and his question..can he get along with new AD..MBB…give credit to Que and Benjy..I am certain guys are willing to sign in March 2015..IF Que and Benjy are retained for next season…simple…For MBB continuity sake…Ben Jay just keep Senque and Benjy and staff for at least one more year..also for sake of underclassmen and their families..Athletic dept…very much not running smoothly.
And THE LETTER..where…and will ncaa Alleged crimes Ever be revealed?
Support team..we want them do well
tako, eagle, chuck, backbeat, warriorhaw and all the faithful fans
something has to be done quickly..do not want UH MBB and athletics go down because of admin..fumbling and bumbling..quite upsetting to fans
coaches and families
UH POWER…GET IT FIXED
sheeeshhh!!
!!
damn, was really hoping sammis would stay. was really looking forward to seeing him play at the ssc. best of luck!
If you wondering how Sammis broke his hand, Brian M said he broke it against a baseline seat in SSC in a moment of frustration during the first practice after the Rainbow Classic. We’ve heard of some other players that did something like that, but it doesn’t serve them well .
islandman:
No comment so far from Benjy too.. Wonder, if really better that Finally Sammis goes back to his second home Florida.. I mean, he was here there and everywhere. What We Are concerned for , The Betterment of the 14 Still here, those guys don’t quit, they are good students, taking unreal classes and credit load, credit to Benjy Que, Loyd, Autry, the tutors, advisors, Ben Jay for retaining Benjy, and The families of the MBB team.
I hope they win a lot of games, 20 at least, and walk off into next year proud, as champions, for themselves, their Ohana and the fans of UH MBB ..
This group in few years, they come out victorious or not.. should be book or espn TV special made movie about what they had to endure.. the thing that worries me.. the NOISE.. we talk about it, their classmates do, their families, man and woman on the street, their friends and nationally.
We support UH MBB team.
Great bunch, the Fantastic Fourteen… Go for it..
You are Champions in my book
AD do the right thing and get Que and Benjy in place, for next season for recruiting and returnees..
Rainbow Warriors to the MAX !!
Too bad Sammis does not have the work ethic or the mental toughness of a Niko Filipovic. Niko had his share of hard times of not playing and being on the scout team but he is a hard worker, great teammate and a tough dude. Sammis could have learned a lot from him.
Nothing in life comes easy. You have to battle thru hardships and tough times. The more you able to battle thru those time, the better you become as a person.
Good luck to Sammis but I am now rooting for Niko to become a fan favorite.
Mike Thomas @mr_aloha25 :
Poor (adj.) – When you have too much month at the end of your money.
3:12 PM – 16 Dec 2014
Niko:
A preferred walkon, not sure if on scholie, credit to his family for helping him come to UH, he is a worker, those are the type of guys that help teams win championships.. Will do whatever it takes to help team. Love the honesty of Whole Team, the other things, affect them, however they still are working hard, so important to do well this session , GPA good, and be all academically sound for this Spring.
Would take 12 Nikos, actually, there are 14 of them, with similar, go to school, do well in school and give effort on the court.
Sammis, kahuna, the strangest part, He came in with the Superman body, and then breaks pinkie toe, then his hand in fit of frustration hitting a chair.. now back to his second home in Florida.. guy is big, however, remember, according to his bio.. he just made 19 years of age this past October, so he has a lot of growing up to do. His body, that of a well defined, 25 year old, just has to focus, life will not be easy.. wherever he goes.. hope he does alright.. Lot of post UH MBB guys moved on, did alright if they finished school, and good academics, some fell by the wayside.
You are right, Niko, what a class load, when attending college, never had Those Type of courses.. he and Mike Thomas taking some unreal courses. .. on track to grad.. Nevels too..
AC CARTER vs, RODERICK BOBBITT
Yeah, I know it is way too early to draw comparisons…but I did look at the early stat comparisons in their first year. Both players made/make their teammates play better and both know how to win.
AC Stat ROD
34.7 MPG 32.7
64.5 FT% 70.8
3.7 RPG 3.5
6.6 APG 5.7
2.7 SPG 2.8
1.4 A/TO 2.3
3.0 Fouls 3.0
ROD leads the Big West in Steals and Assists. AC lead his team to 1st place in Conference Play. As I am sure Rod will tell you, it is all about the team right now. I wish that would apply to the administration.
I am sure the Brain Drain that our BOWZ experienced this week will be met with some real physical play on Friday.
GO BOWZ
BackBeat: Admin.. they went to school? Masters, Doctorate, ? where is the Brains? Will they, For The Betterment, not destruction of UH MBB and UH Athletics, get it right? First of all , settle the next season HC and staff situation.
And where or where is that, .. oh well, don’t want to get us started..
Go Bows ! We Backing the Bows, Waay to Go Warriors.
Chaminade, could be trap game, however, UH plays that pedal to the metal D, they will be tough at their old home arena, the vaunted Blaisdell..
AC.. , Tom Henderson,.. elevated guys play.. AC in particular, single handedly, helped UH in two year run to, I think two 21-9 season, two NIT bids.. if not for injuries to AC and others, those two years. guaranteed, UH would have gone to NCAA.
Rod, it is not even the numbers scoring wise so far, though I am sure, when he gets his legs, as Benjy says, remember he is still not 100%, he can score 11-12 ppg, 7 assists, 2 steals, a blocked shot, BWC play 80+% from FT line, , shoot 48 % from field, drop in 37 % from 3 line, and at end of game lock up the win, close out, with excellent FT shooting.. that is what he does, helps team to win, and facilitates. AC one in a million to be a part of UH MBB .. a 13 or 14 year, vested , NBA veteran and retiree, if he had a Bachelor’s degree, would one day be a good college HC too, Think he is helping NBDL league coaching? Not sure..
AD, Tom, Rod, real great guards.. UH has, about 6 of them, who are team guys, Nevels, Q, Bobbitt, Fleming, Niko and Dyrbe,.. BWC still , the team with best guard play, and they in condition, can win the BWC .. and go post season deep run !
Wish Sammis all the best in Florida but on the other hand I don’t think academically and temperament he was up to the standards being set by the rest of the team. Another great opportunity to go out and get a big to replace Sammis if only UH will get off their butts and help Benjy out.
RE:: POTENTIAL BIG-TIME HELP….
http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20141216_Kauai_land_sales_Rich_and_famous_find_perfect_playground.html?id=285923781
GREAT Front-Page (Today 12-16) HSA Article (above) by Kristen Consilio LISTS ʻNewʻ Hawaiʻi Millionaires And Billionaires Who Recently Purchased HOMES On Kauai…
GO, Ben Jay! [? Chancellor? President?] Six Months to MAKE A Difference for UH OR At Least Get Started –
Approach and Sign One or Three to Support UH Athletics Could make a Semi-Permanent Difference…
WHAT KINDS of NAMES?
The New Resients include:
– MARK ZUCKERBERG, Founder of Facebook
– PHIL KNIGHT, CO-Founder of NIKE
– Plus the Founders of E*Trade, EBay, Morgan Stanley, AOL, Equinox…
and many other Multi-Millionaires…
People Who (to Some Degree Already) Demonstrate they LOVE Hawai’i … At Least Enough TO Purchase…To Invest?…
INTEGRITY, Humbleness — just Like the UH Team, And Displayed By Heismann Winner Marcus Mariotta…
UH Teams are Famed for Gracious Good Behaviour At Home And On the Road, BEST Sportsmanship —
The Kinds of High-Quality, Low Disruptive Representatives Worthy of Rich, Open Sponsorship…
SHOW US… YOU ARE The FUNDS-MAN!
More Than a Bean-Counter…
Share the UH Athletics Pride and Passion
That Gets Left Off Of The Sports Pages
Attract Some of THESE Winners and Leaders to UHAD
Be A Leader of Leaders !
Best of the Best
Can Be, Sure Looks Like
Hawaiʻiʻs Destiny….
————–
RE: Leader of Leaders ….SAME PAGE A-1 TOP – Konawaena HSʻs Three Sisters Molina — who just Beat TWO Nationally-Ranked HS Teams This Week Including #1 National — Coach Laura offers UH Scholarships to ALL THREE Sisters…
GREAT WORK ETHIC, NIKO!
As Always, Wish Sammis The Best of the Best
Same to The ʻOhana Brothers ʻLeft Behindʻ
JUST Another Opinion
Aaron Valdes is averaging 16+ D-1 Points per game
IF He went to JC maybe 20-25 ppg … BUT is that ANY Better?
Sounds to me like More BAD AAU Coachinʻ
WHY GO Backwards?
Pretty Sure Benjy wonʻt “Chase”
BUT IF Sammis IS ʻThat Goodʻ…
Maybe Q & BJ should Recruit Him Back Yet Again…
ʻtil he Can Permanently Figure it Out
DONʻT WASTE THE JC YEAR…
NOT Even As Good As Practice EVERY DAY
Against TOP 100 and Three-Star D-1 Players
jmo
Eagle…comes a point where interim …Benjy..he should be 2014-16, 2 year contracted head coach..so simple and would not cost uh admin much money..instead of search for top outside assistant who would have to work 4x as hard as gib, benjy and que did..such a simple solution to keep intact a good 14 mbb team
admin..darn same old thing..not smart at all..keep losing football coach and disrupt winning mbb program
extremely irritating non athletic leadership by ones who have no clue
We absolutely love this team..you watch..they tired of noise on the street..they want bwc crown !!
Eagle : what do you think…sammis, first, second and finally third time off uh mbb team..jc coach and if he has opportunity to, D1 schools will question why he flip flop on uh mbb program
don’t think benjy will recruit him again..once gib gone and sammis injured hand , he is pau
hope he did well in school..
Ben Jay..weird, only at UH..a guy says immediately resign , however he still on board to june..retain losing football coach, not retain (?)current winning head interim coach..has to pick his replacement..
unless uh admin gets things good to go and excellent decisions…which billionaire/ millionaire want to vest into circus manoa?
UH admin..chance to get better fast!!
Love the team..warriorhaw, eagle, josh, palolo, the hard core enjoy the game at blaisdell
uh mbb avoid trap game
hope negus and janks can play..or by dhc..
Go Bows
and admin ..go get better..much better
my editorial for day pau..
good nite!!
🙂
Just following your lead RunBows. And others likewise on this site.
I be there at the Blaisdell. Been a long time since went there. How is the food there now?
Go Bows!!!