UPDATED: Warriors get shut down in loss at Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. – It was a long night in Long Beach for the University of Hawai’i basketball team.
The Warriors opened with four minutes of promise, but faltered for the next 36 minutes in an eventual 65-50 loss to Long Beach State. An energetic afternoon crowd of 3,351 at Walter Pyramid watched the 49ers seize control of the game in the second half, after the Warriors opened the game with a 12-0 lead.
Hawai’i dropped to 15-8 overall and 3-4 in the Big West Conference with what head coach Benjy Taylor described as the most frustrating loss of this season. Long Beach State improved to 12-11 overall – including 7-0 in the Pyramid – and remained in a tie for first place in the Big West at 6-1.
After the game, the Warriors lamented what could have been, as they played decent enough on defense throughout.
“Bottom line is we got real undisciplined and selfish offensively,” Hawai’i head coach Benjy Taylor said. “That’s just the truth. We didn’t move the basketball as well, and didn’t cut as well, and guys got real individualistic.”
The 50 points was a season-low for the Warriors, who entered the game averaging a conference-best 73.9 points per game. They also shot just 34.5 percent from the field (19 for 55) and had their worst free-throw shooting game of the season (7 for 17, 41.2 percent).
“The guys know what they’re supposed to do,” Taylor said. “We had a lot of issues tonight and we have to put this one behind us pretty quickly and get ready for Thursday’s game.”
Sophomore forward Stefan Jankovic scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and was the only Hawai’i player to score in double figures.
Sophomore forward Mike Thomas added eight points and tied his personal career-high of 10 rebounds.
“We might have seemed a little relaxed out there with the lead we jumped off to,” Thomas said. “Their intensity stepped up definitely, I think their crowd got into it, too. We weren’t playing good basketball, we weren’t moving the ball like we did in the first half.”
Junior point guard Roderick Bobbitt contributed six points, five assists and eight steals, but also committed seven of the team’s 20 turnovers. Bobbitt was also primarily responsible for holding All-Big West guard Mike Caffey to a season-low five points on 2-of-11 shooting. Caffey entered the game averaging 23.3 points per game against Big West opponents.
The final score was hardly indicative of the first half. Hawai’i opened the game with a 12-0 run, including two steals and subsequent breakaway layups by Bobbitt.
It would be the largest lead for the Warriors, as the 49ers chipped away. Long Beach State took its first lead at 26-25 with 1:44 remaining in the first half, but the Warriors still managed to take a 27-26 lead at intermission after Jankovic scored on a hook shot in the closing minute of the half.
Taylor lamented the statistic that showed the 49ers shooting just 30.4 percent from the field in the first half, but Hawai’i ahead by only one point.
“It was us,” Taylor said. “(Long Beach State is) a good ball club, don’t get me wrong. They’re good, they’re experienced, they’re talented. But come on. We just weren’t on the same page tonight.”
The second half was all Long Beach. The 49ers opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 36-29 lead they would never relinquish. The Warriors got as close as three points early in the second half, but the 49ers pulled away in the final 10 minutes.
“You’ll always take a 15-point league win, especially against a team as talented as Hawai’i, but we’ve got to continue to work on things to get better,” Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson said. “In this league, it’s all about who’s going to be the best in March, who’s going to be the most consistent, and right now, we’re not consistent enough in every area.”
Hawai’i went just 6 for 15 on free throws in the second half, and 1 for 9 from 3-point range.
The Warriors were assessed 24 fouls, including six offensive charge calls, while the 49ers were whistled for 17 fouls.
“We were getting too involved with the refs, I think,” Thomas said. “We weren’t playing basketball anymore. It was a mind game instead of a basketball game.”
Taylor said: “(Long Beach) was running with us in transition and they were taking charges when we didn’t have an advantage anyway. We should have been pulling it out. The refs had nothing to do with that. That was all us.”
It is also worth noting that the Long Beach State student section threw two objects onto the court late in the game. They were warned after the second incident, but no technical fouls were assessed. A similar situation occurred at the Stan Sheriff Center, and Hawai’i was assessed a technical foul after the second incident.
The loss came less than 24 hours after news surfaced that the NCAA had issued its letter of allegations against the UH basketball program. Taylor and the Warriors said the controversy did not affect their performance.
“I don’t have any comment about the NCAA stuff, I just know we have 15 wins and at times we made it look easy,” Taylor said. “But win or lose, every day we have to regroup with this team. Every day.
“This is just a young group in terms of minutes played and you have to manage a lot of egos. The 15 wins haven’t been easy. We’ll just keep grinding and we’ll regroup.”
Senior team captain Garrett Nevels said of the NCAA letter: “I don’t care about any of that. I’m focused on next week.”
The Warriors will remain in California through next week. The four-game road trip will continue with games at Cal Poly on February 5, then at UC Santa Barbara on February 7.
“We’re together, we’re fine,” Taylor said. We just got some things we have to clean up, and we will. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.”
(Game photos courtesy Warren Haraki)
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Saturday’s Big West Results
Long Beach State 65, Hawai’i 50
UC Riverside 66, CSUN 62
UC Irvine 77, UC Santa Barbara 55
UC Davis 81, Cal Poly 78 (OT)
Hey Benjy and the Boyz…. just have to practice offense.. maybe Benjy have to have some more sets, to get guys free, mid range, inside, out..actually guys have to make shots from field and FT line.. and you are right, cannot have that dribble dribble out on perimeter then launch desperation or drive and get offensive charge.. fouls called different on the road. Confident.. Team stay together, and can shoot high percentage in Both Poly and Santa Barbara games, you guys WILL win 2 in a row.. keep on shooting.. and defending.. That start at LBSU.. that was the one.. great flow and defense.. Hey go easy on the guys.. they are Hawaii’s Warriors.. they are our team too. Great job.. focus, don’t pay too much attention to other ncaa thing, let AD and admin counsel handle.. You guys just play ball, and win ball games, have fun and Team Ball
Go Bows !! Very, Very proud of all 14 of you.,. You have made thousands of UH MBB fans, and we want you all to battle for NCAA bid !!
Go get em Benjy and the Boyz !!
And Mahalo to Schmidt Ohana, Ameriprise, Valerie Schmidt, Pacific Risk Solutions, for sponsoring excellent live real time video coverage of road games.. we cannot express our thanks enough. for all that you do in helping WI and Dayton, Wes, for the best coverage of exciting MBB team, the best in years.. Through good and bad, and hopefully a really great finish In March Madness !
Mahalo to WI and the Schmidts.. Thankyou so much.. And for the forum, with such divergent opinion, yet.. whatever is said, or typed .. We All Want UH MBB team to do well !!
Go Rainbow Warriors ! .. and move ahead.. we Know Now, UH has UH MBB best interests at heart. for that.. we thank Ben Jay too.. and UH legal counsel..so that Benjy and Team just concentrate on books and basketball !!
🙂
Looks like a good move to get rid of Gib when they did. Boy did he have everyone fooled.
It is so sad that this team has to pay some of the price for the violations of the past. I hope and pray that the UH administrators and NCAA do not take away Big West Tournament from these kids this year. Let them play it this year and see what they can do, maybe shock everybody!
If the punishments take place for next year, at least everybody will know and can make there own decisions to transfer or not and the recruits will understand what is going on.
This team, they already paying for it mentally. They have to read and hear about it every day and answer questions they might not even know the answers about. I hope and pray they fight through this and prove everybody wrong again!
Just Another Viewpoint / Opinion:
I SEE ‘The Seriousness’ of The Issues that led to ‘The Firings’ —
Although that IS The History, ‘Privilege’ and One of the Potential Choices of Management / Upper Campus,
i STILL Posit that There ARE Other, Potentially Better, Choices…
[That Upper Campus ‘Might Have’ Looked at,
BUT i think the swift-ness didn’t allow time to discuss/review other options, plans…]
We NEED Solutions that allow a Student-Athlete to Keep Up with his school work while he Represents his Homeland in The World Championships, whether it’s a Library-Borrrowed Laptop, Loan or GIFT, Provided by the School (as even Public Schools are trying to do) OR P5 schools will probably eventually provide; (From a School-Mission Perspective, a single $400 iPad is at least equally as necessary as numerous $200 pairs of sneakers);
Censure The “Friend” (Non-Booster) AND Compliance Office HEAD and Worker for Their Systemic Loss of Control;
We were “Told” the New Recruit-Visit Tryout/Workout with Team was a new NCAA Allowed Feature/Program;
(It probably yields better results for both the chemistry and future fit of the prospective recruit with the team And Gives The Recruit a Better Sense of How Well He Fits – IF NOT Already Allowed, probably should be drafted/legislated.)
Use of Personnel, Allowable Functions (Hours of Practice, Logs of Allowed Recruit Contacts, etc.) ‘should be’ “Trained”, Signed for and Can (Should?) Be Certified Weekly…AND Monitored By Management (IF the NCAA Really Thnks ‘ALL THAT’ IS That Important)
When a Department, Division Head etc. thinks he can “Control” the Facts, He Needs to Be Censured, Re-Trained, Monitored by His Boss (We had a Branch Head Escorted 100% for Week(s) by His Boss, Weaknesses Identified, “Coached” to Appropriate Choices, Better Behaviour, and Subsequently, Periodically Checked, Monitored Until we were ‘Certain’ the Appropriate Behaviour had Taken; Some Positions Will Always be Difficult to Fill and It Can Be a WAY Better Investment of a Week, Month or Two of Training or Behaviour Modification (COACHING) than just Re-starting/Re-Booting with Another New Person and ‘New Set of ‘Problems’ 0R 70-80-90% FIT; How Many Six-Figure Coaches would later “FAIL’ for Another Two or Three (FOUR?!) Years? I HAVE NO DOUBT that GA CAN Learn to Support And Treat the NCAA as Honored Guests (Despite their Lack of Timeliness and Rudeness of Intrusion (Ask Fotu) and As Well as Other ‘Visitors’, ..Having Been An Investigator/Auditor/”Internal Affairs-Type” i understand The Leaders’ “Threat”, Fight-or-Flight Reaction – That ‘Honored Guest’ Respect IS Also something that Needs to Be Earned…
The “Too-Much Power” Thing IS a Larger Problem and By-Product of The System, Big Bucks, EGO-DRIVE-Success Relationship [Look at 49-ers, Patriots, Seahawks Coaches]… BUT (i think) is Part of The Challenge Posed to their High-Power Owners-Managers-League-Counterparts…
Example: “FIRING” Jin Donovan as A.D. over a $200K Problem, although embarassing, may be Ridiculous; 200K IS NOT Even 1% of his $30 Million Budget Responsibility AND was Clearly Exacerbated By Other UH SYSTEMIC & Departmental Weaknesses in Numerous Departments; his subsequent Management Replacements LOST Millions By Comparison just in ‘Politically Replacing’ Donovan-McMackin with Freitas-Jay-Chow…A Qualified A.D. who ‘Knew’ and Handled ALL the Issues with Open Eyes Versus a ‘Name-Program’ Asst AD who ‘Honestly Wouldn’t have taken the job “If i knew their issues…”
There IS a Very High Likelihood that The Next UHMBB ‘Permanent’ Coach will be One of The ‘Others’ [Previous Coaches had LOSING Records versus NON-D-1 Competition, Rocha, O’Neil, Little, F.Arnold, Nash…] Versus The ONLY Successful RILEY OR Gib Arnold [Now Fallen OR Just Given Up On?]
Some people really believed in Gib Arnold. When UH was looking for a Head Coach after Bob Nash was let go, I thought UH should have gone after somebody who had a recruiting pipeline to Australia. I believe there were good Assistant Coaches at St. Mary’s and Gonzaga. I think the Boise St. coach now was such a personwho would do well here. I thought it wasn’t a good idea to have another Arnold in UH’s history, even though Gib went to Punahou. What was overlooked in the selection maybe was the fact that Arnold worked for Tim Floyd at USC and there was a lot of questions about their recruiting over there. Remember all the questions about O.J. Mayo? It is what it is at this point, but when you come down to it, you have to point to those people who were key or instrumental in hiring Arnold in the first place. Where are they now? How are these people? The Punahou Mafia? Whatever!
In the NCAA eyes, Hawaii is not important. They will do what they want to do to dole out the punishment. UH will go meekly into the night and accept it just like Cleveland State. UH doesn’t have the money to fight.
Are you curious that the NCAA didn’t see fit to interview Benji ? Lucky for him . They seemed to interview all the others on the staff ?
A columnist mentioned that “Lack of institutional control” was NOT itemized in the allegations, which could be somewhat good for UH. I see “unethical or dishonest conduct” and “intentional violations or reckless indifference to the NCAA constitution and bylaws” listed though .
And for the previous coach: ” Obstructing an investigation or attempting to conceal the violations.” and “Persons of authority condoned, participated in or negligently disregarded the violation or related wrongful conduct”.
The Gibber was a fibber, never should have been hired . Questionable things went on at USC at his last stop . He and Akana lied and misled. They made very poor decisions and have no business coaching at this level.
islandman: DR’s article this morning excellent summary. Now, it took me a long time, and waiting for the full report, that an outside entity , the ncaa compiled after several months. As DR alluded to, it could be manini things, however the cover up, or concealing or directing others. Interesting comment in another article about what SF had to say, never want to be part of that, and I think those under GA , were just doing what HC wanted them to do, they never thought it to be wrong I guess.
The Due diligence of UH, with general counsel and probably the Alabama Law Firm, was prudent. Dismissal of GA and BA, as well as departure of IF.. Nothing in that letter alluded to ” lack of institutional control”.. that is a good thing. the conclusion.. as DR stated.. that the Institution, the compliance, and everything by UH, AD and admin to comply , cooperate and take action to correct.. that is a big one.. It Soften the blow of the serious allegations. DR also highlighted a good point.. the parties involved with most serious, and that is the part, not felonious actions.. Are Gone..No longer part of UH and the MBB program..That being said, it .. that very , very important, Mitigating Factors, can play into very soft blows to MBB program, possibility we don’t know, however alluded to in his article.. that ncaa could , look at letter and UH’s response to allegations and what they did, the compliance cooperation and action, and go easier on UH MBB.. That Is What We Fans of UH MBB are looking for.. plus the MBB team current, their immediate future and next couple of years.
BJ was interviewed at WBB game, by kitv reporter, he said.. They have seen the letter, they will prepare response, and deal with ncaa, they have always cooperated.. I think with the investigator, lead, who was here for so many months, he could see how UH Did do due diligence, and did not hide anything or not make anyone available for comment, or documentation.. Another good Mitigating factor(my thought)..Interesting, the fan support for MBB team, has really grown, those interviewed at WBB game, said they still support the team, so exciting and BT has done good job rallying the team, they hope ncaa, or school will soften any , if .. penalties against MBB program, I agree with thousands of others, the current acting HC, not named as instigator, or violator, and the current team members did not instigate or manipulate wrong.. I hope, and ncaa, you never know what they will do.. however I point to the Reyes case, they helped in get in last minute to UH, even with ncaa investigation going on.. maybe that ALOHA spirit of Hawaii and its school and fans, will be a HUGE piece in letting UH MBB program play post season this year and years to come. with as the letter concluded, instructional programs for compliance, making sure everyone at UH and sports programs, know ncaa protocol, basically know what and what not to do, even if it is Manini, however.. should not conceal or cover up..
I am still interested in the statement, and response from GA and his team..
Basically.. Hope current MBB team not disrupted.. they played on fire the first 6 minutes of LBSU game, the best.. then went flat after that.. They will bounce back.. I still think they will win 19 or 20 games, overall.. maybe finish 9-7 or 8-8 BWC play before the tournament.. and I hope.. UH will allow team to PLAY IN THIS YEAR’s BWC Tournament, since, It would be a good thing.. Once again.. That Letter, implicating Individuals .. and the main ones GA and BA.. with another prominent Athlete now gone.. Hope for the best..
Now, I can see for the Betterment of UH Student Athletes.. and to Avoid ,as Eagle states. it would take from Top, the UH admin, who Now, will have to be on it.. the whole UH system academically to athletically, and even for AD BJ.. who, as I stated before.. tells BT and the MBB, team, Just keep on playing, doing well in school, he , the AD, admin, General and private counsel will take care of the matter. I believe, and hope, they will do the best for this MBB team..
Thanks DR.. great and positive article.. we wait and see.. ncaa.. show a little Aloha, and UH stated throughout the process they have nothing against ncaa, which is Another Positive Mitigating factor.. on good terms with.. So Hope for the Best.. apparently.. UH did the right thing.
And, This Might Be MBB teams’; year. so to be part of BWC tournament play would be a blessing.. and hopefully ncaa will show softer side, since UH was compliant and cooperative.. proactive..
Go Bows.. Guys.. Benjy and Team, JUST keep on Playing. thousands of fans are backing you guys.. don’t give up, stay focused, because of all the Noise about the letter.. BT, just keep the guys together, coddle, encourage, and help them stay together. I believe, they have a run to March Madness in them, I really do..
Go Bows We backing the Bows and Warrior Time, Finish right, and strong.. and UH, AD and counsel take care of the guys.. you will , Hawaii fans counting on it..
Read the ending summary, the Mitigating factors, and DR article today.. gives a lot of hope..JMO..
Eagle :
good points, that is why legislature wants to get involved with that oversight entity to monitor UH athletics and AD, I would even say, they should look into Admin to the top. to make sure things like this don’t happen again.
GA and BA.. and former athlete if he wants.. will have response, to ncaa and UH..
their right, they have good ohana.. want them to be okay too.
ncaa, hope they do it right, and show some kindness.. imagine, with the NC’s or the ncaa world, the P6 conferences now… what they do and don’t do.
Eagle, as Mamma Valdes, said.. from beginning, support the team, they are willing , to play for this season, and they have done great.. We backing the TEAM.. these guys are not guilty of felony or implicated, even current acting coach.. Just one more, or maybe Two more wins before come home to SSC.. where there will be ONLY 5 more home games.. the fans Will Come out.. I know they will. exciting team.. UH just has to shoot really well in the 40 percent and higher range and 70 percent from FT line or better , uncharacteristic for UH to have 20 turnovers.. watch.. Poly game, UH will play much, much better …for the W.. anything less.. well, just go out and get W against UCSB.. have to go 2-2 minimum on this BWC road swing..!!
Eagle, keep the faith.. The current team, and whomever coaching now and into the future.. want MBB team to keep playing for championships..
Now, all we can do.. see what UH response, ncaa response, persons involved response.. etc.. Yet Focus on team.. They are the ones that Hear The Noise, I bet even on the road.. espn announcers mentioned what team and current HC have to go through., for them to win 15 and counting.. amazing job..
Go Bows.. and you are right. for my alma mater.. UH.. make sure, everything is good for betterment of All students.. and the athletes. and fans..
Where there is smoke there is fire. There was an awful lot of smoke around Gib prior to being hired by UH. We got what we deserved.
Eagle, your suggestions on retraining , etc sound good in corporate world for middle managers but not for head coach knocking down 350K+ a year. Admin should not be in business of “training” someone to be a head coach. Respect your background but your proposed solutions do not fit this model. Don’t think problem was NCAA being rude. They are the cop on the best, don’t lie. Like many other scandals it is not the acts but the coverup that does you in.
Ideas and Suggestions,
Alternate Solutions and Courses of Action are ONLY As Good as The Ones Considering and Implementing
SHAME That An Institute of Higher Learning or (Hopefully) Higher Performance cannot get 10-20% (or even 50%)
More Out of its People — HOW MANY YEARS and How many Hires — AND How Many LOST MILLIONS —
Before WE FIND ADEQUATE — NOT EVEN GREAT — Replacemrnts For Donovan, Jones-McMackin (WIN Championships Versus TALK of Chasing’) and RILEY….?
A STRONGER Institution Would Grow its Own…
NEXT…
Starts from top…and UH is a public….state run university…
It appears MBB how they come through this adverse time..benchmark
Cannot support, say mahalo enough to ohana, student athletes and Benjy, Senque, Brad, and Brandon keeping MBB program going
staff, secretary, tutors, grad managers , trainer , excellent job ..
fans will back team..Eagle keep chin up..high …
hope best..
MBB 2014-15 team will be remembered for a long time..strength through adversity
Go Bows..
Good job Benjy..
your team..or Hawaii’s MBB team …great young men..they will work for great finish to season and beyond..young…confident..one focused…will come together in March…they want nothing less..
We fans love this team and their families support..
fans rock the SSC when team returns for last 5 home games !!
🙂
Eagle..Governor should be at home games too..show support..that is telling..
from the top on down.
support the team
now alabama special..help this team..move forward, minimal damage..
From what I have read, there is really nothing new that we weren’t all told over the past 5 months or so, meaning these things the Admin already knew…and leaked to the media. What they do now will show what kind of backbone they have or motivation. Do you think Stan Sherriff would have sat back and taken it?
People are all over the board on this and that. We, as fans, just want to see the success of our athletic programs…namely this basketball program.
Since Benjy was not named on anything that I read, one has to wonder what the Admin is now thinking. He has to be credited with keeping this special group of young players together; winning more pre-season games in the history of the program; and also winning a National mid-season Coach of the Year Award. We all want to see this group mature together over the next several years. It is time for the Admin to keep them together with a contract that allows them to stay here and to allow for recruiting.
I took a look at what the average NCAA Men’s Basketball Coach made of the 68 teams in the 2012 NCAA Tourney…$1.4 Million.
Could not find all the coach’s salaries in the Big West Conference, but Dan Monson at LBSU makes a base salary of over $325K, not including bonuses. Jim Les at UC Davis makes $275K.
The average Gym Capacity of the 8 BWC schools on the mainland is only 4,400. I believe only UC Davis has a football team. The Stanley holds 10,300…Aloha Stadium 50K. Everyone should know that most football programs support the athletic budgets.
Any decision to start the program all over again after the five years of winning seasons with a new coach would be so counter productive. I have no faith in the UH Admin, but can only hope that Benjy’s agent can come to an agreement in time to keep this program growing with new recruits. Hell, we are already missing 3 scholarships as it is…4 by next year.
GO BOWZ…still a big fan and I believe you will find that you have many student fans will come to your next home game.
BACKBEAT:
yes…agree …. for the sake of These Young Guys, imagine, what they going through? and their Ohana? However. credit to coaching staff, and support, for keeping them together..
Believe that Coach Taylor has a lot on his resume now.. imagine all the calls he was making to the families of the athletes when GA was dismissed.. With team wanting, and probably the wisest thing that AD did to this date, retaining Coach Taylor, look at what happened, that 12-4 start, and almost winning the DHC against very good field, plust the win over Pitt now carries more weight, since Pitt upset highly ranked Norte Dame, the Coach of the Year mid major award, the fanbase that is growing, the standing ovations at SSC even when they lost games..
Fans, the green and white bleeding, die hard, hard core, US.. we believe.. Don’t think Any athlete on this current team deserves any less support from Admin and State, University..Back in October, I was concerned, and I don’t blame them, if half of the team just walked out, or went home.. however, the team has good family support too, and Coach Taylor agreed to hold team together… HIs staff, Senque, Brad Autry(that assistant coach, great resume , and on short notice came over to help Benjy), Bradon Loyd the UCLA lineage, and local resident.. Oklamhoma HS All American..)they are part of the Team that is keeping, though, team does have ego.. who wants to be the guy.. however, they all on board..as Team..they are going to win some games. perhaps a lot..
As Coaching staff and team knows.. just have To Keep On Playing do Well in School, No more, problems, keep on the high road, live, mature learn, .. they have made A LOT OF FANS of Old and newbie people.. Go Bows !!
BACKBEAT…. Eagle, servante , clyde, tako, a lot of the fans of MBB.. we want team to do well, and These guys, they deserve our support, 2 members, for their own reasons departed, however these 14 stuck it out…. UH admin, should recognize,that, the athletes And their families.. Also, Backbeat, the coaching fraternity, and schools around country, aske Pitt, Nebraska, Wichita St and Colorado, all the BWC coaches, and ESPN.. they take note what Coach current, Benjy and team have done.. Great job.. I hope.. he gets a shot.. maybe, a shot at one or two recruits.. if things go well.. I think.. UH is working on that now..everything is out on the table.. they have to start working smart and in an expedient manner.
Go Bows !!
Back to Basketball.. MBB.. that Jankovich, what a skillset, the hook shot, taking guys off the dribble, inside, the footwork, the mid range, FT shooting, block some shots, get some rebounds now, and that deeeeep 3 ball form and ability to hit them.. wow.. a really skilled 6’11” athlete..hope to have him for 2 more years. definitely.
Thinking of all the positives.. Aaron Valdes, improved strength, ability to take man of the dribble and go to rim..so much vert, and quicks, athleticism, can be top player in BWC for couple of years to come.
Rod Bobbitt warrior.. assists, leader, defender supreme, basically shutting down Caffey.. wow !
Mike Thomas, very smart guy, and he believes he will hopefully peak at 6’9″ in height.. sky is the limit, a 3 skillset, playing the 4 and 5.
Isaac Fleming.. definite.. legit impact freshman, have not seen a UH guard, can break guys down, and drive to rim on 3 defenders and score with that left hand.. plus as a SG running the point to give Bobbitt a break.
Quincy… plays very well, within himself, Team guy, great guy on squad, will help in BWC and Post Season.
Jovanovich, just more strength, and more foot work and quicks.. come back larger, and heavier, banger,..
And it goes on and on for all 12 active players.. EVERY SINGLE one is Vital to Good Season for Team.
This Team, They will receive Standing Ovation for final Home Game of Season at SSC.. I guarantee that.. The Best squad , through the trials and the storm, rising above and battling as Warriors..That I have ever witnessed in over 45 seasons !!
Go Bows !!
🙂
Good Night, or early morning !
Had a chance to digest the NCAA allegations and no matter how prepared you were for the them, they still are pretty shocking to hear them once it went public.
Getting past that and into the real content….
1. Not as terrible as I feared. For one, problems are isolated to the MBB program. In many cases, when the NCAA starts an investigation into one thing, they end up uncovering dirt on other sports programs. That’s not the case here.
2. The guilty parties have already been removed from the program. Gib, Akana, and Fotu are already gone. Yes, the firing of Gib and Akana have now been justified, however, it still was handled extremely poorly by UH. Obstructing and misleading the investigation is definitely a fire-able offense.
3. The minor infractions are pretty minor and not that big of a deal. If you do some investigating, you’re probably going to find similar infractions at just about every program at some level.
4. The only worrisome party still at UH is Jankovic. He’s the transfer who Akana doctored his admissions papers. Not sure how this is going to play out. Will he be ruled ineligible? If yes, what other punishments will UH receive playing a player ruled ineligible?
—
The critical thing going forward is how UH responds to the allegations and how they can negotiate they punishment coming. UH should be pushing the angle that they’ve already handed down severe self-punishments by firing Gib and Akana and running Fotu out of town. The only thing that could backfire on this is if the NCAA uses “firing without cause” against UH so it’s not counted as self punishment.
I think UH should voluntarily vacate wins during the time Fotu received his iPad until him leaving UH. Maybe even offer to vacate all wins under Gib Arnold if the NCAA doesn’t think that’s strong enough. UH should also self impose minor recruiting punishments (reduced phone calls, reduced # of recruiting visits, etc) to make up for the alleged minor violations.
The whole goal of what I just mentioned is aimed at avoiding two catastrophic punishments: Scholarship reductions, and free-transfers out of program. The later would be disastrous. Every key player would be getting the red carpet treatment to leave.
If there’s a postseason probation, that’s ok with me since it’s going to be a long shot UH earns a post-season berth this year. The only issue would be that the timing of the response will probably be after the season is over. This team has a very solid core of underclassmen that could be really good the next 2 years, so post-season ban is something UH should try to avoid.
—
Now that Benjy Taylor has essentially been cleared of any wrongdoing, UH needs to send a positive message to the team and make him the full-time HC as soon as possible. Benjy is a key reason why the team has kept it together this season. Even if UH doesn’t get hit with free transfers out, not retaining Benjy will likely lead to several underclassmen leaving, especially the guys who have not used their redshirt year.
FUHA I agree with your assessment of the situation. I think the debate internally will be short term vs long term goals. In the short term Benjy is the best alternative to keeping the team together and avoiding possible APR sanctions. However, I think there is decent interest in the job and there could be some nice candidates that could do more for the program in the long term. It’s hard to judge the current staff in regards to recruiting since it’s an uphill battle they are up against, but I don’t think Benjy has been known as a recruiter..
Our guys deserve to go to the Big West tournament, UH has 90 days to respond so the season will be long over by time of response, the students on the team should not be held responsible for the actions of two coaches that were lied to everyone including us , the Ncaa and the administration . They should bear the brunt of punishment.
FUHA; there aren’t too many that can transfer out since some had earlier transferred in to UH and because, i think, some were redshirts earlier.
How could the UH have handled the letting go of the coaches any better given the situation they found themselves in ?
FUHA:
good summary. Very telling was interview by TV station with AD, about how team move forward with ncaa allegation letter out. His response at the WBB game.. Just tell Benjy to keep team together, do what they are doing, school, good conduct(make sure no more you know what), and trying to win ball games. Just my guess, Benjy communicated with AD and admin, when the outster of Gib happened, decided that keeping him as Interim and now Acting Head Coach was in best interest of guys that chose to stay. To me, that was Huge..the team bonded and came off with that 12-4 start, plus Mid Major Coach of the Year, and the ESPN shoutouts..
Pono, good points too. Would not be surprised if Benjy, if MBB team can win close to 20 games, to myself that would be awesome, and win a game in BWC tournament, Puts Benjy’s resume up there with whomever UH would be looking at. For stability, the team knows Benjy, he knows them, he has an ACE recruiter in Senque Carey, they believe they Might have shot at a couple of recruits to fill that Big man role.. So, You have Benjy and Que, Plus Autry and Loyd.. I think hinges on how BWC play and overall record plays out.. UH better act fast though.. I think it might, this matter, The Letter be taking a little toll on team..LBSU..must have been the Noise The Talk.. UH MBB team, with Benjy and staff and shout out to their Families.. for getting 15 overall wins and possibly finishing at 8-8 or 9-7 and chance to dance.,. would be Historic.
Make sure, Benjy and staff, team is on board, and no problems.. just stay level headed and win ball games.. I tell you Pono and FUHA, jjay, this team at SSC .. they have MADE really solid Fans of the team.. They and We really love the guys..
Hope that AD, UH admin. get it right.. and Jjay agree, For sake of this team,.. what they have done, and hopefully They Stay together, till end of season and hopefully beyond.
islandman, you are right, and clyde mentioned that too, Only MT, AV, and IF would think of going, and have 1 year, and the others 2 years to play..If Don’t have that immediate transfer out.. Would devastate MBB program for couple of years.. Benjy.. All we are Saying is Give Taylor a Chance.. why not? If not, retain he and Senque.. other ..with next man up..JMO.. I still say, UH has to win games in BWC.. and win some, or at least one in BWC tournament.. BT will have a very good, heck, he IS the Mid Major Coach of the Year.. 2014.. so why not?
I think FUHA, if Janks ineligible, or any question, since UH admin, AD they knew details from ONE YEAR ago.. Janks would have lost his scholarship, sent home, and never have suited up to play for DHC and up till now.. must be Alabama Legal, and UH counsel, They knew That Janks was okay, it was BA, that did the altering, and whatnot..Janks, his grades were good, He did not fill out the form, or change anything. it was allegedly BA…I think it would BE THE MISTAKE OF THE CENTURY so far for UH athletics, if they went ahead and played Janks, Knowing he possibly would be declared ineligible.. Know that He is good student.. and above board.
You are right FUHA.. the allegations, and things, not good to hide or mislead, however compared to other programs, some things real Manini, however, have to go by rules..
I think UH admin, their counsel and AD , can really come out looking good, if they Work with NCAA and lessen blows.. I don’t know if they would remove themselves from BWC tournament this year.. still they have to respond, and NCAA merits, and UH can appeal, so still have several months to play out.. This MIGHT be the Year, of UH being the POLY of last year.. Just Hope the Team has a chance.. Lot of sophs to be juniors and a key Freshman to be soph, and 3 juniors to be seniors..
Hope the Best.. think that UH.. they secured really great counsel in that Alabama firm..we shall see. for the benefit of the team, no matter what we think of behind the scenes… I hope they do it for the guys that are doing right.. and just balling and having fun playing for Hawaii and UH..
They deserve our support..
Benjy, Senque, Brad and Brandon, staff and office of MBB, you all are doing great job !! Mahalo so very much. And the Team, winning a lot of ball games.
The Bright spot, besides WBB and MVB so far this spring semester !!
Mahalo Plenty UH MBB team and coaches !!
🙂
Go Bows !!
I have a comment awaiting moderation…
I just thought of something scary. UH do not have to take the full 90 days to respond and they could actually continue to bow down to the NCAA by self-imposing an immediate ban from playoffs for this team. I would not put it past the bumblers and fumblers to do that and take it away from these kids who worked so hard to salvage the season.
I really hope and pray that it doesn’t happen but nothing would surprise from UH these days.
Horsse_Champ; was it a long comment ? If so, maybe break it down to shorter ones. Or something else ? just guessing.
Sometimes, the moderated comments do not get posted for a long time, if ever.
re-posting, in shorter pieces
HOUSE BILL 539: to anyone interested in new Athletic Director…
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=539&year=2015
“Establishes the athletics department as an entity governed by a board of governors. Transfers administration of the University of Hawaii at Manoa intercollegiate athletics special fund from the university to the board of governors. Authorizes the board of governors to select an athletic director.”
Woohoo another Board, go Boards rah rah rah!!
Good comment well deserved Coach Taylor and Team !
Link: UH Chancellor Bley-Vroman voices support for #HawaiiMBB acting HC Benjy Taylor “I don’t have any complaints. coach is doing a great job”
HB 539 cont.
This link is to the full bill. I pulled out an interesting part on the composition of the new Board.
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2015/bills/HB539_.HTM
“The board of governors shall consist of seven members who shall be appointed as follows: (1) Three members who shall be members of the University of Hawaii board of regents to be appointed by the chair of the University of Hawaii board of regents; (2) One member with financial management experience to be appointed by the governor; (3) One member who shall be a coach in the athletics department; (4) One member to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and (5) One member to be appointed by the president of the senate”
Awesome, so that’s the formula for a successful “Board of Governors”. One part financial management, 2 parts special appointees (who needs a democracy?), 3 parts from another Board which wasn’t good enough in the first place, and only 1 guy with any interest in sports. LOL who comes up with this formula?
Forget about trying to come up with the best, or at the least most sensible Board composition. Just make sure 3/7 of them come from the BOR, and they report directly to the BOR. A board within a board. Boardception. WTF Hawaii…
khon: RD tweet-
.
Good comment well deserved Coach Taylor and Team !
Link: UH Chancellor Bley-Vroman voices support for #HawaiiMBB acting HC Benjy Taylor “I don’t have any complaints. coach is doing a great job”
Chuck – Definitely HAD That Concern as well that UH Admin wouldn’t use the 90-60-days to give the Players who stayed a ‘Chance’ at Post-Season…. Even IF they Only WIN One or Two Games in the BWC Tournament — Still An Improvement — they would learn The Venue and The Rhythm of The Tourney for their next two years…
Ideally NO Post-Season Restrictions — This Year OR Next…
Removing the Level One ‘Offenders’ should ‘Answer’ the Level One concerns…
IF Bley-Vroman “Likes” what the Team is Doing,
Don’t Cut Their Season Short…
(Use the 90-Days to Ensure Getting a Shot @ Anaheim)
Don’t The Team Be Doin’ That Either…
———-
Back to The Court…
IS This “Team” Capable of Stepping Up above Cal Poly and/or UCSB On The Road?
It May Be About Time to Rise Above ‘The Young Team’ “Excuse”…
GO ‘BOWS!
Eagle…team shoot 46% or better..keep turnovers down…move ball like they did at csun…uh mbb can win both poly and ucsb games..
plus word out , once guys try to dribble drive on teams…opponents set feet on defense and are picking up charging fouls on UH..
If UH can get 2 win streak..wow…SSC rocking
Eagle..Chuck…Backbeat…if major booster (good kine)and season and game to game ticket holders support team and staff…very good…think…chancellor read social blogs too..
now support for coach and team
recognizes individuals not institution cited major allegation
make enough noise and 7500 plus attend cheer on team admin step up help team
lessen blows to innocent ones
now if team were 8-15…and not exciting…low fan support..different story
Eagle now time for admin , AD and Alabama special fight and help this special Team..
my guess..with good fan support and making known.admin wil step up..
they would look really good in eyes of Hawaii MBB supporters
Go Bows !
🙂
Hope “They” Don’t Get Stupid…
Vacating VICTORIES?
To Prove “Seriousness”?
[TV ‘News’]
FIRING Proves Seriousness…
Davis had a Car for a Weekend — FINE and Chastise “The Owner”
And Make Davis “Pay” for The Rental, etc….
FINE The Compliance Personnel, too (For Incompetence…]
HOW Does that Possibly affect Wins and Losses?
iPad? Fotu Vacated His Scholarship And Pursuit of Degree [Already TOO Sad…]
And Worth 20 Times More than an Old iPad…
Punishment In Kind and Hopefully Targeting ‘Offenders’, NO More “Innnocents”
I Also Thought Vacating Victories for a Penn State Molestor Was ALSO Stupid…
(And Later REVERSED…)
Eagle…emphasize Indiviuals alleged violators…they restitution..cerarry sanctions..not program and current team and coaches
chancellor supporting team and coach
still be akamai…don’t self impose or too overboard…put UH MBB backwards for years to come
the NOISE…voice of boosters …ticket holders…growing fanbase let be known
Your right don’t self inflict too much
individuals make amends not good team an staff..
I think they are going to try…seems to me…ga…ba…dr..names comeup
not current 14 members on team
Pres. Chancellor , AD, Alabama special go to work !!
For MBB team!!
Well admin talking bout..scholie..vacating wins..okay..the post season that is what you want..we mbb fans want..
avoid exodus of maybe 4?
Hope they really think it out !!
Might as well extend Benjy for couple years..stabilize team..program ..
Okay..considering…scholie reduction..recruiting window restrictions..vacating 37 wins when 2 alleged athletes involved…past 2 seasons..and limit practice times..all related to severe alleged infractions
good..No mention of any self imposed post season bans..
sound familiar?
It makes me think of sanctons that bennett and st marys gaels got for their infractions..just about same? Very similar
and st marys was allowed to play post season for their sanction period
Remember some of us were saying use st marys situation as guide?
Seems very similar
however..UH went even further dismissal of coaches..suspension and depature of key pf..
I would take that..gives hope for soph, juniors and seniors to be plus..can still fill…say example reduced from 13 to 11 scholies.. UH MBB has 3 open current? Think so..nevels grad…so maybe with 11 available for next year and 9 taken by hoping 9 returnees..would leave 2 to offer for following year..?
I am just guessing ..however uh mbb usually carries 2 walkons or so..so roster of 13 still available and cand offer to shhoter and big..
jmo..
St marys and UH…Hmmmm..would not be too bad…post season give guys something to play for
Eagle that is what I saw and heard on tv news..similar to st marys sanctions..
they directing sanctions self imposed to infractions specific..not going into post season ban realm..
That would be best scenario..
I think we UH MBB fans could live with that and ncaa see UH took appropriate action..looks like admin and counsel..they are listening and taking correct .action
Would be good..seems like uhadmin is getting on board and they do appreciate benjy and team plus legion of thousands of mbb fans!!
Hope for the best !!
Above…just my guess and opinion only..hope the best
appears admin doing best for current team
chancellor likes tean and coach, staff,,that is very, very, good
When ALL This Stabilizes…
Hope Benjy, Senque & Co. Can Keep Most / ALL AND Entice a Superstar or Two
Who Wants to Play with Good/Smart Teammates…
——
SEEMS The TV News Doesn’t Have a Clue
That UH Athletics IS Among The Most Self-Sufficient of All Universities ..
AND University Departments…
Eagle…only in hawaii…media can be all over the place..just get facts right..know uh mbb cover their expense..when football comes around better yet..
Seems like things getting sorted out
glad team in cali
they have time to chill..get away from noise and start winning some games
hope this will galvanize them more..they are proud warrior types
they going fight!!
🙂
go bows!!
UH likely to self impose penalties to lessen the blow of severe punishment for the violations being faced.
” … HNN has been told that any self-imposed sanctions would address those specific violations– things like a possible reduction in practice time, a reduction in recruiting benefits and the possibility of trimming the team’s scholarship allotment.
…
HNN has also learned the school hasn’t ruled out vacating its wins when illegible players were on the court.
…
Sources say star player Isaac Fotu and Davis Rozitis were both on the receiving end of illegal benefits during their time at UH.
As a result, UH would consider vacating the team’s 37-wins acquired over the previous two seasons.
The university is currently in the middle of a 90-day response window to the NCAA and these possible self-imposed penalties would be a part of its response.”
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28007833/sources-uh-strongly-considering-self-imposed-sanctions-in-response-to-ncaa-violations?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HawaiiNewsNow-News+%28Hawaii+News+Now+-+News%29
Thanks islandman!!
Confirmed good start…take care of mbb moving forward. .
right track self imposed ” infraction specific”
Stay strong Benjy and Bows!!
Go get Poly !