Warrior Insider

Ido Flaisher was a late addition to the University of Hawai’i basketball team, but he may have to make early contributions in his collegiate career.

Due to some paperwork issues as an international player, Flaisher was not announced as an official addition to the UH program until September 8 – several weeks after Fall semester classes started. At 6 feet, 11 inches tall, he is now the tallest player on the 2016-17 roster, which means he may be put into the mix sooner than expected due to the team’s lack of height in the post.

He is also one of five true freshmen on the roster, but he is being given an equal opportunity to compete for playing time at the center position.

“I think I can bring rebounds and I can bring defense to this team,” he said. “I can jump on the floor when they need me.”

Growing up in Israel, Flaisher said he was always the tallest on his youth teams. He played several sports, including judo, soccer, swimming and tennis, but basketball was always his first priority.

His father, Ofel, was a member of Israel’s national basketball team for 15 years. Ido has already represented Israel on the U16, U18 and U20 national teams.

“When I was young, I already knew basketball was what I wanted to do in my life because my father was 15 years on the national team of Israel,” he said. “I really liked to see my father playing and I knew that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life.”

English is not Flaisher’s first language (Hebrew is), so it has added to his learning curve. Still, he seems to be fitting in well with his teammates, and he has joined them in weekend outings around the island.

“Everything is amazing, the beaches are so beautiful,” he said.