Warrior Insider

It is finals week for the University of Hawai’i basketball team, which means the primary focus will be in the classroom.

The Warriors’ next game is on December 22 (against Illinois State in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic), so the practice schedule has been lightened a bit this week to give players ample time to study.

“Finals week is always stressful for the student-athletes; it’s stressful for just the students, imagine having to go to practice after,” junior forward Gibson Johnson said. “People have quite a few finals, I have a couple and I have a big essay I have to write, too. Just have to stay focused on that outside of practice and it should be good.”

With no games on the schedule this week, the Warriors are also using the time to recover from nagging injuries. Johnson, for example, said he played with a sore ankle and a bruised thumb in recent weeks.

“Those (off) days are big for us to get our bodies right and be able to compete at this level,” he said.

At the same time, the players realize they need to improve on the court, particularly after dropping two games by double-digits last week at the FS1 Pearl Harbor Invitational.

“We want to be the best team in the nation; that’s everybody’s goal, so we’re definitely not there,” sophomore guard Sheriff Drammeh said. “But at the same time, we’re a new team so it’s hard. But we’re for sure not where we need to be. We have a long ways to go.”

Freshman guard Drew Buggs has yet to play a game this season because he is still recovering from off-season knee surgery. He has recently been cleared to fully participate in practices, though his game status remains to be determined. These next two weeks of practices could be key in the decision on whether to start using Buggs in the remaining games this season, or keep him on the sidelines as a redshirt.