Warrior Insider

The 2016-17 University of Hawai’i basketball team conducted its first practice of the season on Friday afternoon. Here is the opening practice report from www.hawaiiathletics.com …

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai’i Rainbow Warrior basketball team opened preseason camp on Friday with an energetic 150-minute practice on the UH lower campus. The ‘Bows attacked practice with the desire and urgency of a team just six weeks out from its regular-season opener.

“We’re really excited to work with this group,” second-year head coach Eran Ganot said. “The staff and I have been looking forward to getting this day underway for a while. We had good energy early on. We always try to put them in positions where we’re challenging them both mentally and physically. At times our focus could have been more consistent, but overall our guys responded well.”

Fifteen players grace this year’s roster with only senior forward Mike Thomas a non-participant in Friday’s practice. Thomas, the team’s lone returning starter from last season, will redshirt the 2016-17 campaign following off-season wrist surgery.

Despite his absence on the playing court, Thomas gave much-needed sideline support and leadership for a team that features 10 newcomers, headlined by UCLA transfer Noah Allen and junior college transfer Larry Lewis, Jr. Among the small pool of letterwinners returning is sophomore Sheriff Drammeh, fresh off a standout summer with the Swedish U20 national team.

A majority of the team members arrived in mid-summer and have been hard at work for months before the official start of preseason camp.

“That’s a huge positive,” Ganot said. “There’s a culture being established now, there’s a work ethic, there’s a professionalism. The guys have done a phenomenal job. They’ve taken care of their bodies, done a great job in the weight room, worked hard to get into shape, and that’s really helped going into fall camp. They’re getting closer as a team. Now they really have to lock in. There’s a step from the summer to the fall, and there’s a huge step from the fall to the practice season. But with their work ethic and eagerness to do things right, they’ll continue to get better.”

UH is coming off the most successful season in program history with a 28-6 mark and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The Rainbow Warriors, who enters this year as the defending Big West champions, play its regular-season opener on Nov. 11 against Southern Illinois Edwardsville in the Outrigger Rainbow Classic.

(Photo courtesy www.hawaiiathletics.com)

Video report from KHON2: