Warriors will see a familiar face in a UNLV jersey
Perhaps it is true that you’re bound to see someone you know with a tie to Hawai’i every time you take a trip to Las Vegas.
That will be the case for the University of Hawai’i basketball team when it plays UNLV on Wednesday. The non-conference “neutral site” game will take place at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev., which is about a 15-minute drive from the UNLV campus.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 Hawai’i Time) and will be video-streamed via UNLV’s YouTube page.
The Runnin’ Rebels are 8-0 and one of just 12 remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I. The Rainbow Warriors are 5-2.
One of UNLV’s key reserves is Justin Webster, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Hawai’i. He transferred to UNLV following the 2019-20 season, after he led the Warriors in scoring at 12.3 points per game.
This season, he is averaging 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, and is 8 for 19 (.421) from 3-point range.
“I’ll say it forever – I love Justin Webster,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said. “I love his family and I have great respect for him. We’ll always be rooting for him, except for this game.”
Ganot noted that Webster visited the Warriors last season, when Hawai’i played at the Dollar Loan Center for the Big West Conference Tournament in March.
Hawai’i junior forward Bernardo da Silva said Webster was his roommate two years ago. “I’m excited to see him, but I’m also excited to play them,” he said.
Webster is the second former Hawai’i player in the last two years to suit up against the Warriors after transferring. Kameron Ng started for Hawai’i-Hilo in a loss to the Warriors last season.
