HPU coach’s faith in D-I transfer Orr pays off

There’s a list every college basketball coach watches closely, especially Division II recruiters.

It is around 500 names long.

“We call a hundred different people on that list,” Darren Vorderbruegge said. “We make our living off D-I transfers.”

But you have to get the right players. No me-first guys, no malingerers. And, considering that Vorderbruegge is the head coach at Hawaii Pacific University, no slackers just looking to cruise at the beach for a year or two.

“There’s always a reason why they’re transferring,” Vorderbruegge said. “Our job is to make sure they can succeed here.”

You’re never 100 percent sure, though. And neither are the players.

Chauncey Orr considered HPU two years ago with the closest thing to a recruiting visit — a brief family trip to Hawaii more than 10 years prior. That made it even more a case of faith on both sides.

But as Orr and the coaches got to know each other more over the phone, and the more research Vorderbruegge did, his potential as a good fit became as close to a lock as possible.

That lack of doubt has been validated by Orr’s stellar on-court performance and low-key leadership. The Sharks are 24-2 (16-2 PacWest) going into Monday’s final home game at Moanalua against Dixie State. HPU completes its conference regular season at Chaminade on Saturday.

Then it’s what the eighth-ranked team in NCAA Division II hopes is a long postseason run.

Orr played for his father, who was head coach at Bowling Green. But former Syracuse star and eight-year NBA player Louis Orr was fired in 2014 (he is now coaching in China’s top pro league).

Chauncey tried to make a go of it with the new coach, but it didn’t work out.

He’d been around a bit because of his dad’s career that also included head coaching stints at Siena and Seton Hall. But Chauncey was comfortable living in Bowling Green. He’d been a high school star in the Ohio town of 30,000. His close-knit family was always together, and his favorite Skyline chili was always available.

“I’d never been away from home, and this was a chance to do something completely different,” said Orr, who remembered very little about a visit to Hawaii with his family when he was about 8 years old.

“We all knew Chauncey was a great player,” said senior guard Connor Looney. “He could easily have come in here with ego and attitude, because he is that good. But that’s not who he is.”

Orr, who describes himself as “a shy person,” might have been even a little too humble his first season with the Sharks. But he was assertive enough to lead the team with 14 points per game while making third-team All-PacWest.

“Once he broke out of his shell, nothing can stop him,” Looney said.

Now he’s among 25 players on the watch list for the Bevo Francis Award, which goes to the most outstanding player in men’s college basketball, other than Division I.

“One thing that stands out about Chauncey is that he’s a triple-threat,” Vorderbruegge said. “Great 3-point shooter (46 percent), but also a great pull-up. He might be best at slashing and finishing in traffic.”

Orr’s all-around game extends beyond his team-leading 19.2 points per game. The 6-foot-4 swingman also paces HPU with 7.6 rebounds and is second in assists and steals.

“He’s extremely unselfish and that’s one of the keys to our success. Teams have decided to let someone else beat them and key on him. He finds other players. Then they have to adjust and they have to go back to one-on-one,” the coach added. “He’s an excellent defender. He’s really bought in. I think he got that from playing at the D-I level. Ninety percent of great defense is buy-in.”

The Sharks have no players from Hawaii on their roster. But Vorderbruegge credits the leadership of six seniors — especially fourth-year HPU seniors Looney and Colfax Nordquist — for the team’s success on the floor and as a family.

Associate head coach Jesse Nakanishi, the former Kamehameha player and Warriors coaching standout, has also helped the players adapt to Hawaii.

Orr still prefers Skyline to Zippy’s for chili, but “(Nakanishi) has got me to try a lot of raw foods. I especially like the spicy ahi bowl.”

Nakanishi has taught Orr about a lot more than local food, he said.

“He’s always got us prepared with the scout. He prides himself on appreciating and respecting what he has been given in life, and that spreads itself to the entire team.”