Warriors still “gathering information” from last game while preparing for next game
Last week’s 53-51 home loss to Texas A&M-Commerce is irreversible for the University of Hawai’i basketball team. But the Rainbow Warriors are still “gathering information” as they seek a more complete explanation about the controversial final few seconds from the game officials.
“It was such a unique situation, we’re actually still getting some information,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said. “To be honest, it’s not often you’re part of something that’s somewhat unprecedented. A lot of people we’ve spoken to – during, after and since – still haven’t seen many plays like that.”
The play in question occurred after Noel Coleman made a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining to cut the Commerce lead to 53-51. On the ensuing inbounds play, the Lions threw an errant pass near the Hawai’i bench.
Commerce forward Alex Peavy caught the pass, and his momentum took him near the sideline, where he then bumped into one of the referees. Peavy threw the ball back in, and it was caught by Hawai’i guard JoVon McClanahan, who then made a 3-pointer before the final horn sounded.
However, it was ruled that at least one referee blew a whistle – thus signaling a stoppage in play – before McClanahan’s shot. Instead, the Warriors were awarded the ball out of bounds with 1.8 seconds remaining and the score still 53-51. A final 3-point attempt by Kamaka Hepa missed at the horn.
Here is Ganot’s understanding of the play and call: “The official was out of bounds. If the body (of a player) hits the official, it’s not out of bounds. If the ball hits the official, it’s out of bounds. The ball did not hit the official. That’s about as much as we can say right now as we continue to get more information.”
At the same time, the Warriors are “moving forward” in preparation for their next game – a road trip to Henderson, Nev., to face undefeated UNLV (8-0) on Wednesday. The team is scheduled to depart Honolulu on Monday morning.
“I feel really good about the way our guys handled that with class and have been approaching it very professionally with good practices while we gather information,” Ganot said. “You can do both.”
