UPDATED: Warriors claim first Big West title with win at UC Davis, 67-65
A University of Hawai’i basketball team that has battled back from adversity countless times already in this amazing season did it one more time on Thursday.
Now the Warriors have a Big West Conference championship to show for it.
Hawai’i clinched the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for next week’s Big West Conference Tournament with – what else? – a stunning, come-from-behind 67-65 road win over UC Davis.
The victory secures at least a postseason spot in the NIT, with a more-coveted berth to the NCAA Tournament at stake in next week’s Big West Tournament at Anaheim, Calif.
It is also just the third regular-season championship for Hawai’i in 37 years of conference affiliation. The only previous titles came in 1997 and 2002, when the program was in the Western Athletic Conference. This is the program’s first Big West title in its fourth year in the conference.
“That was an unbelievable locker room, another unbelievable moment,” head coach Eran Ganot said in a post-game interview on ESPN 1420 AM radio. “You never forget that for the rest of your life. That’s a special moment. These guys have been through a lot. It seemed fitting to have to do something like this on the road, and when you’re down with this group.”
Hawai’i opened the game in an 11-0 hole, trailed by as many as 13 points, played almost the entire first half without top players Roderick Bobbitt and Stefan Jankovic due to foul problems, trailed by 11 at the half, and did not take its first lead of the second half until there was 1:24 remaining.
“Just, wow, the way the game played out … we got some sick puppies on our team that like it very difficult,” Ganot said. “We knew it was going to be tough with (UC) Davis. Davis plays well here and well balanced.. Just very appreciative, like I always say. They gave us all another moment, and hopefully we got some more in us.”
Jankovic’s three-point play – a layup off an assist from Bobbitt, then an “and-1” free throw — with 1:24 remaining gave Hawai’i a 63-62 lead. Bobbitt then scored four points in the final minute to help secure the win.
Hawai’i improved to 24-4 overall and 13-2 in the Big West, with one regular-season game remaining (at Long Beach State on Saturday). The Warriors improved to a mind-boggling 7-0 in Big West road games, and their seven consecutive road wins is nearly double the previous school record of four straight road wins. UC Davis dropped to 10-18 and 5-10, with two losses to the Warriors.
Senior guard Quincy Smith scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead a balanced Hawai’i attack. Senior forward Sai Tummala added 14 points off the bench, including 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.
Bobbitt contributed 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, despite picking up three fouls in 11 minutes of action in the first half. He played the entire second half, even after picking up his fourth foul with 6:39 remaining.
Aaron Valdes had seven points and three steals, including a game-securing interception that led to a breakaway dunk by Bobbitt with 25 seconds remaining. Mike Thomas contributed five points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Jankovic was limited to six points and three rebounds in just 18 minutes due to foul problems. His substitute, junior Stefan Jovanovic, had seven points and six rebounds.
After the game, the Warriors received “2016 Big West Champions” shirts.
“I don’t even remember what I said in the locker room,” Ganot said. “I know it was crazy. This is their moment and no one can take it from them. They’re champs. I’m very proud of them.”
Hawai’i fell behind, 11-0, to open the game, and Jankovic and Bobbitt both went to the bench in the opening three minutes after each picked up two fouls. The Warriors’ first points of the game came with 14:41 remaining in the first half when Valdes hit a 3-pointer to make it 11-3.
UC Davis increased the lead to 19-6 with 10:44 remaining, prompting Bobbitt to return to the court with two fouls. The Warriors then responded with a 10-0 run, fueled by two 3-pointers by Tummala, to get back in the game.
Hawai’i took a momentary 23-22 lead with 5:22 remaining on a driving layup by Bobbitt, but the Aggies responded with a 7-0 run to regain control with a 29-23 lead. It was part of a 14-2 surge to close the half, giving UC Davis a 36-25 lead at intermission.
Bobbitt was called for an offensive foul – his third of the game – with 2:20 remaining in the first half.
The Warriors battled back again, opening the second half with a 9-0 run to cut the UC Davis lead to 36-34. Hawai’i got within two several other times later in the game, and finally caught the Aggies with 1:24 remaining.
“It was big,” Ganot said of the Warriors’ rally early in the second half. “It set the tone. You could feel it in the locker room at halftime. … we were ready to roll. And then it was kind of a see-saw the rest of the way, and fortunately, we made the plays down the stretch. It’s exhausting, it’s thrilling. Just really proud of the guys and I’m sure a lot of people back home are going crazy.”
With Hawai’i hanging on to a 63-62 lead and UCD in possession of the ball, Valdes stepped into a passing lane to steal a pass. As he was jumping out of bounds, he passed the ball downcourt to a running Bobbitt for a dunk that made it 65-62 with 25 seconds remaining.
Bobbitt had two more trips to the free-throw line in the closing seconds, and went one for two each time.
Siler Schneider hit a 3-pointer for UC Davis with 4.8 seconds remaining to cut the Hawai’i lead to 66-65. Bobbitt then hit one of two free throws to make it 67-65 and Graham missed a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Warriors the win.
UC Davis shot 47.1 percent from the field to Hawai’i’s 45.1 percent, but the Warriors out-rebounded the Aggies, 34-27.
Josh Fox led UCD with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Brynton Lemar added 15 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
It was also Hawai’i’s first game since sophomore guard Isaac Fleming received his official release from the program.
Thursday’s other Big West scores
UC Santa Barbara 81, UC Riverside 55
UC Irvine 72, Cal Poly 62
Saturday’s Big West Games
UC Irvine at UC Riverside
Hawai’i at Long Beach State, 2:00 p.m. (Hawai’i time), Fox Sports Prime Ticket
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara
UC Davis at CSUN
Note to all,
Please be respectful of this accomplishment, regardless of your feelings of what has happened in the recent and not-so-recent past.
To those of you posting using different IP addresses and e-mails, I am actually a little flattered that you would go to such lengths to post comments here, but please understand that the staff here is aware and ready to take action as soon as warranted.
To still others who want to continue engaging with the so-called trolls: that is exactly the kind of attention they are seeking.
That is about all the blanket advice I can give for now. Again, please enjoy what this team has just accomplished. I have been covering and following this program for a long time and can tell you that such moments do not come along often.
Thank you all for the continued support.
Good win team!!
Well the team looks pretty good in their “Champions” t-shirts.
Go Bows !!
Thank you Dayton…
Where’s Coach Ganot in the picture? Bummer, man. He’s our leader. Gotta be there. This team couldn’t have a 24-4 record without his leadership. Dayton, you are right, these moments don’t happen very often. Cherish it! Very special, but the journey is not finished yet. Team still have to take care of more business. The goal for the season is to make it to the Dance. Tonight, celebrate!
Awesome win!! It’s not how you start but how you finish. Props to Ganot. Even with a lot of returnees from last season,it’s difficult for any first year coach to accomplish what’s been done. The players found a way to win despite a terrible start. A win is a win. Eran and his staff has done what no other UH coach has done. Gone 7-0 and hopefully 8-0 on conference road games. That’s a credit to everyone for their hard work and sweat. Get that revenge win on Saturday and an unbeaten conference road record, then play the best 3 games of your season, peaking at the right time. Go Bows!! Get that NCAA bid.
NCAA grand prize! Team will fight for it. Get ready for Anaheim! Great hoops ahead! Warriors finish the deal!!
How about our SENIORS! Q, Sai, Bobbitt… All came up big when it mattered. And then that steal by Valdes. This team is so fun to watch when they’re rolling. That said, we didn’t play anywhere near our best ball this game (or the past three games for that matter). Hoping the team comes out with focus the entire game on Saturday against Long Beach.
As a side note, because the big west re-seeds after the first round, getting the #1 seed is really huge. If we can get by Fullerton (our first round matchup), and any of LBSU, UCI or UCSB gets upset in the first round, we would avoid playing any of those teams until the finals– provided we take care of business ourselves. That’s a big difference compared to last year when we had to play LBSU, Davis (regular season champ), then UCI. Of course, first things first, long beach revenge game on Saturday!
Go Bows!
Kudos to the Warriors , tough season , but they all prevailed and finally won the program a conference championship , something that hasn’t been seen for many years . Our guys have hearts of champions!! Onward to Long Beach and the tournament . Got our tickets and going to Anaheim , Go Warriors!!
Derek – Don’t be too bummed for Ganot.
https://twitter.com/HawaiiMBB/status/705642785043386368?lang=en
I think he’ll be okay missing the picture.
Fantastic finish to great season.4 more wins then big dance. Yes seniors what a way to closeout games. Team even juniors , freshman are team everything. Good job Eran. !! We haven’t seen dance or wins in it ever. Get it!! Warriors!!
Thanks for the coverage.
If it’s true that UH is playing Fullerton, then I think they will get a slight home field advantage because Fullerton is a short drive to Anaheim in Orange County.
Need to get a good win to have good momentum going into the post-season. Tonight the team looked really sluggish.
Anyone else hoping AV does a toss-it-to-himself break away dunk like how Faust did to us at the end of the last game? That dunk pissed me off.
I am glad that the could’ve, would’ve and should’ve did not happen.
If UH had lost the last 2 games and Irvine and LB wins out, this is how the standings would’ve been.
Irvine 13-3
LB 12-4
UH 12-4
Who would get the NIT bid based on the regular season standings?
I believe the NIT berth is awarded to the regular season champion, and it’s theirs to keep should they not win the conference tournament and NCAA berth. Otherwise, that spot in the NIT goes back in the pool. And, in the case of the Big West, not likely to be given to one of its teams.
Besides, who cares? It’s UH’s to keep, unless it also wins three games in Anaheim next week.
Coach Jacobsen, the coach behind the scenes that has contributed much without any fanfare. Ever noticed during the season how he is communicating to the HC and the players.
This game just before the half ended he tells Ganot to put Javanovic in for Jankovic for the last defense so to prevent Jankovic from picking up his 3rd foul.
I think AD putting in bid or contacting NIT people to possibly host couple of opening rounds of that little dance. As we all know team wants the Big Dance. However NIT not bad. Final four in NYC Madison Square Garden lot of exposure and scouts! Stiil big game senior night for Faust and 49ers. Just guessing. Either he has career night or gets shutdown. Love the games in March extra magic in air!!
Now that is what champions are made of!! 23 points from the bench tonight and just in time because the ref’s weren’t giving us any calls… Rod & Janks both had 2 fouls in less then 3 min into the game!! It appeared they (REF) must have received a care package from Irvine. Frustrated with all of the bad calls at halftime, I went over to the scores table and ask how many fouls were given to Davis in the first half and the reply was six… now how lopsided can you get!?! Any team can win at home but true champions win on the road, which leads me to believe that Houston’s not too far away! Big ups to the team, the coaching staff and all the fans that came out to root for the BOWS!!!!!!! JUST WIN BOWS!!!!!
WarriorFan & Derek coaching staff was in the first picture they took, I have it on my phone,but because of classy group of individuals they are they gave all the glory to the boys! Great Victory For The State of Hawaii!!!!!!!
That is first rate. Special team. Talented focused coach and staff. Hawaii proud of warriors and families like yours Oakland and the rest of loving parents and friends plus hawaii fans at California road games!! Smiling big time now!!!
Ahhhhhh!!!! BIG WEST CHAMPIONS!!!!! Awesome job by the team to rally and to the coaches for making the necessary adjustments! You all are making the State of Hawai’i so proud!!! On to the next game!!!
As a longtime fan of this program, I’d like to thank the coaching staff and the players for taking us on a ride this year that I won’t soon forget.
Regular season conference championship.
Unreal road performance.
Terrific composure and ability to finish games.
Season long adversity.
But the best thing right now is the ride isn’t over yet.
On to Long Beach and Anaheim, Warriors!
I BELIEVE IN THE PROCESS!
OAKLAND510,
Well said, and (as has become.our custom on the road games) great sitting, yelling at refs, cheering with you once again!! We definitely need to find that magic again at the Honda center, as the two games we lost (in conference, at home), we did not sit with each other! Lol
Coincidence? Or magic? Lol
Gritty win tonight, guys. I hope we come out faster in long Beach and in Anaheim. We can’t keep winning these “clunker” games–it would be nice to blow someone out again!!!
So proud of this team! Only the 3rd in 37 years? It’s a big deal people! Celebrate these boys and lets take this conference tourney home!
Here’s one with the coach
http://hawaiiathletics.com/images/2016/3/4/2015_16_MBB_BWC_RegSeason_Champs_UPDATED.jpg
That video of the gatorade bath and the dancing in the locker room to celebrate the league title is priceless and is what every college athlete strives for. Congrats to the boys.
Did Team 1st photoshop the coach out in the top photo?
Congrats Bows. Now you can play relaxed at LBSU.
Unreal! This have to be the team with the most guts in UH history! They keep falling behind and then come back to win. I swear they were losing in all the road games this year but then won it at the end with crazy plays. Ganot said it that the team got “some sick puppies” that like to be in games like that. Love it!
Bravo, for making your TEAM-hard-work be rewarded as one of UH MBB’s legendary win (which saved me from a sleepless-night suffering and, gave me an esthetic-morning and to be grateful; Lady Luck: Hawaii loves you)!
Moving forward to greater challenges for your greater accomplishments!
Mahalo for your support!
Congratulations and MAHALO Warriors! Showing that mental toughness in the end….again.
Beautiful….enjoy the moment.
So incredibly ecstatic for these kids. For all of them of course who make up the TEAM, but SPECIAL THANKS to Bobbitt, Valdes, Janks, Q, Stef, MT and Flip who have stayed committed through thick and thin, and to negate what was said in an earlier post that ticked me off, to Isaac Fotu, who loved this team and left so that they could move forward (without ever receiving due process), I wish he could have been a part of this.
Very happy for Coach Ganot and his staff. He was so pumped in the post game interview and genuinely happy for the team. He CLEARLY deserves Big West Coach of the Year Honors if not higher (we’ll see how far we go!). Don’t know what the future holds yet with the sanctions, recruiting, etc, but for now and for what he has accomplished this year with this talented group, he’s the man. I will always say thank you, however, to Coach Gib for recruiting so many of these amazing young men and to Coach Benjy for keeping them together, fighting through the tough times last year!
As for yesterday’s game…way to step up master Sai!! Q!!! Rod!!! Aaron what a steal. And in all seriousness, one of the glues that may have been the key to our success when all is said and done…Hawaii 5-0 baby!!!!
Man…I hope we beat LBSU. I love love love this TEAM!!!
Dayton thanks for making that clear.
Despite all of the adversity that this team has experienced, this was HUGE! Follow this up with another victory on Saturday. Every game from here will be a battle that can and should be won. Hit the shots, rebound well, lessen turnovers, work it inside, stay out of foul trouble, and hit those free throws.
Leaving for a business trip tonight and will join all Hawaii fans on Thursday at Anaheim. Wish that we could make the pre-game at JT Schmidts.
Thursday game time? 12:00 or 2:30?
Bring it on.
Bobby Curran called into ESPN-1420 on Friday morning with a post-game wrap up. Here are some notes I took for the call.
GO WARRIORS!
#############
Pacheco comments on how the team started off slow, then came back to win it at the end. Not the best way to do it, but they got it done.
Curran says the win was special because they started off down 11-0 at the beginning of the game, and then also withstood a 14-2 run at the end of the 1st half to put them down by 11 again at half-time. He was thinking about that old coaching cliché of the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half being critically important, so it was good that Hawaii came out ready to play. They were impressive right out of the gate in the 2nd half. They had 13 turnovers in the 1st half versus 3 in the 2nd. Says Valdes’ steal with 2 minutes left where he stole it and then hit Bobbitt as he was falling out of bounds for the runout dunk as such a huge play that took the heart right out of UC Davis.
Pacheco asks Curran to take him through the last 5 minutes of the game and give him an idea of what the mood of the team was like as they were battling back in the 2nd half.
Curran says the team was very focused and the bench was going absolutely nuts everytime the team made a play. When Bobbitt picked up his 4th foul at about the 6 minute mark, he could see that Ganot was kind of contemplating taking him out. But Bobbitt came over and said, “Coach, I got this.” And you could hear Eran say – even on their game mic because they were right next to the bench – “Okay, I trust you.” And he left him in and that could have been the decision that changed the game because Bobbitt in those moments is such a smart basketball player that it helped tremendously. Yankovich also had 4 fouls – and he picked up 2 fouls like in the first 90 seconds of the game and didn’t come back in until 2 minutes were left in the 1st half – so they really had to overcome a lot of adversity. There were a couple of huge plays at the end of the game which helped them overcome being outshot and being -5 on turnovers. The steal by Valdes, and then also the rebound by Tummala for the putback and-one was very important in getting the win. The team kind of has a mentality that they’re not beaten until the final buzzer sounds, which is kind of rare, but the teams that have that usually do nicely.
Pacheco comments on how Ganot reacts to players getting into foul trouble and how he handles sitting them depending on who they are.
Curran says Bobbitt just hates being on the bench, but he gets it. When he picked up his 3rd foul he just walked over to the bench knowing he was going to sit and didn’t need anybody to say it to him. Some of the guys are able to anticipate the coaches’ substitution patterns. For example, inside of 6 minutes left in the game, they were basically doing the situational substituting with Thomas in on defense and Tummala in on offense, and it got to the point where they started doing it themselves, which is always a really good thing.
Pacheco says he’s going to look past Long Beach for a moment and asks Curran what he thinks about Hawaii being in the second game slot at the conference tournament, with a 12:30pm Hawaii time tipoff. Is that a good slot for them?
Curran says Hawaii chose that slot. They had a choice of the Noon or 2:30pm slot, California time, and they choose 2:30pm. Whoever has the highest seed, Irvine or Long Beach, was going to play in the 6pm game as both schools are close to Anaheim and they anticipated that that was the best way to get the maximum crowd at the Honda Center. Hawaii decided on the 2nd game, thinking the noon game is too early and the 2:30pm game is closer to when they usually practice. They like their matchup against Fullerton, even though they struggled against them the first time they played on the road. While the Fullerton guards are very good, Hawaii has a real advantage on the inside against them, and you can expect to see them exploit that on Thursday.
Pacheco says it’s tough for a #1 seed to win that tourney because they don’t have a bye.
Curran agrees and says his theory is that teams that are very process oriented like Hawaii, that are huge on their preparation, suffer a little in a 3-consecutive-game tournament. He thinks loosey goosey teams that are less disciplined, like Hawaii was last year, that don’t rely as much on preparation can go out and wing it. Hawaii this year is not really a wing it team. They’re kind of forced to do that – and granted they’ve scouted all the teams twice before and their scouting is very thorough, they like have books on teams at this point – but they do like to run through out-of-bounds plays for each team and things like that. And you only get a 25-minute practice at the Honda Center because there are so many games being played. So it’s a little different. It’s something you see all around the country where the top seeds in conference tournaments don’t win all or most of the time and in the BWC tourney, 4 out of the last 5 top seeds didn’t win the conference tourney. But if Hawaii keeps it focus, stays out of foul trouble, brings their aggressiveness and intensity, then he likes their chances.
Pacheco wants to know what needs to change in order for Hawaii to beat Long Beach State after losing to them at home.
Curran says Hawaii is going to have on advantage they didn’t have the first time around and that’s a completely healthy Valdes. When they first played Long Beach it was his first game back from being injured and he was not really ready for prime time. Not to say that anybody in the conference can shut Nick Faust down, but Valdes is probably the best matchup for him in the BWC. He’s got length, he’s got quickness, he can also jump very quickly and he can challenge Faust’s jumper. Although some people say Hawaii doesn’t really have that much to play for, Curran says Hawaii’s players took that loss to Long Beach State more personally than they did any other loss this season and they feel like they owe one to Long Beach. They also feel like they could end up playing Long Beach in the conference tournament, so they’ll play this game very much like the conference is riding on it. He asked Ganot in the post-game if beating Davis would change his approach against Long Beach and Ganot looked at him like, “No, we’re going to do what we do. We are who we are.” That’s kind of the mantra for this team.
Looking ahead again, Pacheco asks if the team might stay on the mainland, depending on how they do in the conference tournament, and if they go to the NCAA Tourney or the NIT.
Curran thinks Hawaii is going to stay on the mainland regardless. His understanding is that the team will wait to find out where they’re going before making any arrangements. If they end up in the NIT, they could be one of the top 4 seeds in the region, which would give them the possibility of a home game. If that comes to be, you could probably count on a Stan Sheriff sell out.
Interview ends.
The players and coaches, but especially the players, want to destroy LBSU out of vengeance and to send a message to Irvine: no co-champions.
KelleyO.
My wife and teenagers say alright.They loved “42” very much. It is a team first thing and the entire scope of what brought warriors to the “ship” is all encompassing.
Eran hands down Big West Coach of the year and even consideration for national coach of year. Wife and I close to program and work near Lower campus. I tell you we are in heaven at work right now! Proud of team of the year. Our family happy guys not give up. Really strong coaches and young men.Cannot make it to Anaheim. However in their heart and spirit all Rainbows and Warriors are supporting team! Happy? Estactic! Enjoy Honda Center. Another “ship” ride to glory!!
If I told you that both Jankovic and Valdes, the top two scorers on the team would not have double digits in points that Hawaii would win this game? I don’t think so, but they did. Nobody is talking much about Quincy Smith and Sai Tummala but they came up huge with 15 and 14 points respectively and total 6 3s on 50% from down town. Q is the unsung hero of this team. People trash him about how he’s such a poor F/T shooter. He endured the criticism and he improved. I’m so happy for him. Hands down, he’s my Most Insprational Player. It needed to be said.
Congrats to the team for a great win! Just when it looked like they were going to lose this game, they dig down deep to find a way to win. Although Janks and Valdes didn’t score their usual averages, they came out huge at the end with a 3 point play (Janks) and a game sealing steal (Valdes) and dunk (Bobbitt). Hats off to Quincy and Sai for picking up the scoring in this key win. I hope they can improve on their free throws as this could result in a win or loss at crunch time in future games.
Let’s take it back real quick everyone, (“Believe 2 Succeed”)Aaron takes the pass drives down the paint drops the no look pass to Mike with minimum seconds left we go ahead of Nevada, Nevada goes coast-to-coast scores and takes the lead with five seconds left pass goes into Roderick he takes it full court and scores with 1 Second left!! The joy I seen from the coaches on the sideline the players running out onto the court to meet Rod,told me right then WATCH OUT NATION!! I’m a believer!!! Nothing like taking pride in your defense because Defense wins overall!!!!!!!
Derek, I’m with you! Q, Q, Q, Q, Q!!! I think those chants on senior night showed how much the fans love and appreciate this young man. Q for quintessential TEAM player!
Last night’s game:
http://m.kaleo.org/multimedia/full-game-rainbow-warrior-basketball-takes-on-uc-davis-mar/youtube_643abdfc-e232-11e5-a281-07ec6d402d77.html?mode=jqm
Oakland.
March MADNESS right? Team keep rolling . keep focused. Defensive stops and finishing inside and out. Team . all National championship teams past 50 years or so. All great defensive teams with smarts to closeout games. And All those NCAA national championship teams had great guards. Could Warriors be this year’s UNLV. North Carolina St. Jim Valvano both with defensive guards and bigs who could finish? A Mid Major to win it All? Why not The Rainbow Warriors! They keep rolling to the .”Ship”!! Oakland enjoy Anaheim. Rock and roll!!
@WeBleedGreen you already know how we do it bro lmbo gotta love the look of 6,000 fans rushing to the parking lot ! Funny how I couldn’t find a parking space before game time but when I came out it was like a ghost town and the crazy thing was it reminded me of 5,000 in Irvine couple weeks prior!!!!! This team strives on winning on the road !!!! Believe 2 Succeed! Hey nation it’s a new sheriff in town an his name is Stan and he resides out in Hawaii! HOME OF THE BOWS!
Huge congrats to the team…they truly have no quit in them! A win is a win, despite the odds being stacked against them from the get-go. They were determined and weren’t going to let anything stop them from getting that regular season championship! Mahalo to the players and staff on giving us a season for the ages, and more good things to come, hopefully!
With an at-the-least NIT bid secured, the team can relax a bit and maintain focus on each specific game. The Big Dance would be icing on the cake to this season. Per the Bobby Curran show this morning, 4 out of the last 5 ‘1 seeds’ did not earn the ticket so nothing is guaranteed. Although I doubt those other 4 teams that didn’t make it were as successful as this one. 7 – 0 on the road…are you kidding me!! Road warriors, indeed. Even if it does come to an NIT post-season, I’d still be pretty stoked since I think we could actually win it all if that’s where we ended up.
BACKBEAT — I want to know your take on yesterday’s game…very ‘interesting’ officiating, to say the least…yet our boys were still able to overcome this unfair adversity, thank goodness…my take on officiating this year has been somewhat disappointing, at least from my standpoint.
Derek…I’ve mentioned him once or twice before in my posts, but Q…he’s the man! He’s the heart and soul of this team. I have total confidence as him in a starter. Q is one of those ‘intangibles’ kinda guys, although he can also put up some decent stats, as needed. He’s fearless and always gives 110%. Very inspirational player, indeed and my favorite player on the team. I can’t say enough good things about him!
So happy for Q. He played for 3 different coaches and persevered through all of them. Worked hard, did not mope when he did not have that much playing time and when he did play gave his 100%. This guy will become successful in life and whomever works with him is fortunate to have a person of his calibre.
I always thought quietly that this dude is a very good looking young man. Confirmed when my wife and a friend of ours got a glimpse of him on TV stating the same. Q, ever thought about making a career in acting? Anyway I believe you will become successful no matter what you do in life. Your parents must be very proud of you as well as your brother.
Team1st I think we are the hardest team to scout, we bring it from every position! Stop the inside game by packing the paint we kill you from outside! Step your D pass the three point line and we pullin the rim down! Yes this is our year! Team1st they said the last 5 years the 1seed went down in the Tournament , guess there’s another record we can break!
If another young man could have thought differently “0”.
Imagine taking the attitude that okay I have a new coach. I may not agree with the philosophy of the offense but I will do my best in practice and play hard in games for the sake of I getting better thus helping the team to get better. I will make an effort to be positive and respect my coaches and teammates.
Although I want to be the point guard and not getting the opportunity to do so, I will learn how to play and move accordingly in this offense without the ball. Doing this it will make me a better point guard if and when I get an opportunity to play the point the next 2 years. In the meantime who knows it may make me a better shooting guard.
If it is unlikely I would not be the future point guard I will do my best whenever I get into the games and do whatever needs to be done for the team’s sake so that we can get to the dance. After the season is over I will discuss with the HC the chances of being the point in the future and if he decides that is not what he wants, I will ask him to give me my release so that I may have the opportunity to do so at another school without any negativity what so ever.
2015-2016 season is, so far, fantastic, at least to me because my Warriors are giving me win after win after win. The euphoria from winning games, is better than sex!!!! I’m a senior so no problem with that. Hehe! Our Hawaii “Rainbow” Warriors are 24-4. My favorite team, the Golden State Warriors are 55-5 and counting. The journey continues.
Here are some of my favorite list this year:
Men’s Basketball:
1. Michigan State – I like Tom Izzo and Danzel Valentine. Magic and Dramond played there.
2. Hawaii – I’m partial, but we’re not expected to win the National Championship.
3. St.Mary’s – another good feel story, they beat Gonzaga twice already.
Note: Sorry, I don’t like Duke, Kentucky, or Kansas – they win too much for too long.
NBA Pllayers
1. Curry – just a regular guy, so great, shoot w/ no fear, also likes golf.
2. Durant – hope he’s a Warrior next year.
3. A. Davis – I marvel what he does at his height.
4. Parker – always liked his penetration, plus he was married to Eva Longoria.
5. R. Allen – well, he never said he retired, but I enjoyed his movie as Jesus.
Note: I don’t like Lebron – too arrogant “Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, etc.” B4 Miami, I rooted for him.
It’s Aloha Friday! Celebrate the Warriors!
Mission: Hawaii
Your mission — should you decided to accept it — is to try and stop Eran Ganot and his team from taking over the Big West. This tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
http://www.collegeinsider.com/pvideo/216/Mission-Eran-Ganot-Hawaii
Mr Bill, you pinpointed exactly what the team needs to do to ensure a W at LB and to win 3 games and the NCAA bid next week.
“Hit the shots, rebound well, lessen turnovers, work it inside, stay out of foul trouble, and hit those free throws.”
I have faith UH will return to form like they were playing in December and January and not continue to play like last night or last week vs Riverside. I feel confident that the recent turnover and foul trouble issues are only temporary and will be fixed in the next 4 games. The thing I’m more concerned about is making critical time freethrows and going back to prioritizing the offensive scheme to work it inside to Janks/Javanovich/Thomas again. Especially against smaller teams like Fullerton and Davis.
IF UH can hit those critical free throws down the stretch, cut down on turnovers and keep working it down low to our bigs then there’s no way I can see UH losing anymore games.
BTW, anyone here knows if fans can purchase those awesome Big West Champions shirts the players and coaches were wearing yesterday? I need one of those to wear next week in Anaheim
Rumor has it that they may be available at H Zone or at the UH Bookstore.
I really want one of those Heart of a Warrior shirts that the players wear. Where can we get those?
White out or UH Green for the Thursday game?
IS THIS The Smart Site For SMART Answers OR WHAT?
[CUT BACK On The “Or What’s” Please…]
808-200 5081 …
H-ZONE says — Those BLACK Championship Shirts
ARE FLYING IN TODAY
High Priority, SOON AS Available,
They WILL HIT he Shelves…
As Soon As Tomorrow…
While YOU’RE Celebrating Na Wahine Senior Night?
IF Ashleigh Karaitiana Has ANOTHER Senior Night Family Performance…
THAT IS WORLD CLASS
I Can ONLY Dream IF Isaac FOTU And Isaac Fleming Had TWO Senior Seasons
(OR Compliance Office SUPPORT Like Karaitiana…)
IsaacM
I was actually at last night’s game and met with one of the officials before the game with another former official. He was from Minnesota and seemed to have all the foul calls, for the most part…he had just done a B10 game. He had not seen UH this season and had to ref with David Hall, who was limping last night as they tried to cover for him.
As a fan, it was really tough to watch, especially with the great crowd that we had. When two of our star players got into early foul trouble, trying to break that hybrid zone was very tough. To their credit, they followed their game plan and it eventually broke it down. That hunger to win separated them at the end.
As far as officiating, other than the lop sided calls by one official, I did not see too much to whine about. I saw only one call that was questionable, but that was just from my view point, not theirs. UH usually does poorly when a lot of fouls are called, but that was not the case last night as I told him to swallow your whistle tonight.
It was a great victory and everyone had to be drained as must as I was…was not easy to watch.
I fear with all the PT that Bobbitt has had this season, he might need some real time off before the tournament. He is mentally strong, (understatement), but even Buddy Hield is feeling it this time of the year. You can only rely on adrenalin for so long.
You always have to play to win, but in reality, tomorrow’s game means nothing other than pride. I would like to see the bottom of the bench get the playing time, IF it starts to get away from us.
GO BOWZ…Lots of fans will be in Anaheim.
Was thinking the same thing. If the #1 seed is already locked up, there’s more to lose than gain by playing the mains deep into the second half. I would be in favor of going deep into the bench for most of the second half.
Feels good for so many long time and new fans. For me, I remember trying to drum up support for the team by putting up my own flyers around the campus for crucial games way back. Crosseti Speight days. Willie Wright was in my history lab class. All night Wright, Jim Leahey would call him. Because Will told Jim during practice, “I can hit this shot all night”, as he drilled shot after shot from his spot. I could hardly garner much support for the team in those days. For some reason, my friends and I found ourselves yelling from the upper sections of Blaisdell Arena though we were students. UH faced Pace Manion in one crucial game and we were yelling “Tooth Paste” to hassle him. Yeah, real clever stuff; we were students. Anyway, been following from afar for years. Still, bleeding Warrior green. Now gushing Warrior green! Gobo! (As in burdock root from where I am living now.)
Or does team want LBSU win for revenge so ba and outright championship. Ganot make sure game in hand before relieve starters? Personally ? I think team wants win even though they are champs. Bobbitt. True
Like Nevels. They want to play 40 every game. Good if Eran rotates and limits Rod’s minutes. Save him for tourney. Rod? Anything for the win. He is a warrior. Niko should get more minutes if take care of ball. Team on cloud Nine. LBSU game should awesome cannot wait! Sad when season over. Historic run!!
Re: BW Tournament. Initially, I was puzzled by the women’s format in which the top two seeds get double byes directly to the semifinals, and seeds 3 and 4 get single byes. Now, it makes sense to me and I hope the men’s tournament at least considers a similar format. Why? Because I think winning the regular season title cannot and should not be under-valued. As Ganot told the SA: “It’s very hard to win a conference championship. It means you have to be consistent for a two-month stretch.”
IMHO, the regular season champion should be awarded more than just the No. 1 seed in the tournament (besides the NIT berth) because it’s tougher to go through the grind of the conference season as opposed to winning a three-game tournament. I understand giving every team a chance to improve and play their best toward the end. I just don’t feel that the top team, and, consequently, the bottom team should be afforded basically the same treatment for the tournament.
As it is, the tournament winner might not be the conference’s best representative in the NCAAs as when No. 7 seed Cal Poly (6-10 in conference) won it all. While CP did win an NCAA game, it was against another No. 16 seed.
There is NO PHYSICAL or Psychological Reason, esp. THIS Week…
TO DO Anything Less than Best (other than injury / Fatigue?)
Especially Against The Beach
They CAN Call themselves Out IF Hurting
No One’s been out long enough to be out of shape.
I COULD Understand During Tourney
WHEN Plan to Play Tough Three
IF Game is IN Hand to Rest Some and Build Depth
At that Age we played in Tourneys with Four or Five Games Per DAY
(We Played Some with UH Starters)
EVER Giving Less Than Your Best
IS A Bad Habit
And Insult to Your Opponent,
even Your Own Program
RE: JUST KEEP WINNIN’
GO ‘BOWS
Is that a native american depicted on the trophy ?
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/689928186096812032/SsPzEHrN.jpg
clyde …. In 2010 and 2009 at least, the men’s tournament was similar in format to the women’s big west format. The No. 1 and 2 seeds had 1st and 2nd round byes. I didn’t look back further than that.
Having SEEN Both
I Also Prefer The Women’s Double-Bye Format
IT REWARDS and HELPS PROTECT THE TOP TWO
The 5-6-7-8 Seeds Must WIN FOUR To STEAL A Championship
3-4 Win Three and 1-2 WIN “Only” TWO
What Makes it BETTER Is The First Two Rounds are On Campuses (IRVINE)
SO 3, 4, 5-8 DON’T Get Comfortable Or The Jump of Winning At FINAL Four Site
Nice accomplishment.. Let’s just enjoy it.
Go Warriors!!!
Re: The posts under March 2 topic, eagle is not Team1st.
And Stef did a good job replacing Janks, 22 minutes to 18 for Janks. 7 pts, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block.
Team1st, I don’t understand you..
You praise Ganot on Warriorinsider.com with the name Team1st and then go another fansite (Warrior Sports Network) under a different name (CP3ball) to criticize Ganot, and try to discredit the work he did with this team. The REAL you is at WSN, not here.
I even bookmarked what you wrote… Even if you try to erase what you wrote, I quoted it in my response.
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=219&f=1136&t=14604690&p=2
First let me say thank you to ripcurrent for that great summary of the Curran interview.
And then, congratulations to Coach Ganot and the Warriors. What a season! It’s been a great ride, and what’s even better is that there’s more to look forward to.
Mahalo to Dayton, the rest of the WarriorInsider gang and of course the sponsors for bringing us such great coverage of this very special team.
Jack White, a Small Forward from Australia and a player that Ganot has been eyeing, verbally committed to Duke today. It’s a shame we didn’t get him but it’s good to know Ganot is looking for solid talent.
That was a great summary.
Congratulations to Coach Ganot and the Warriors for having a wonderful season and great finish.