Nevels has the game, 3-point shot UH sought

It took guard Garrett Nevels all of 1 minute and 23 seconds to introduce himself at the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday night.

About as fast as you could say Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic, Nevels propelled the University of Hawaii to a 5-0 lead en route to an eventual 85-55 thumping of Tennessee State in the season opener.

UH plays Western Michigan tonight on the second day of the tournament.

On a night when the Rainbow Warriors rolled out a new-look backcourt, Nevels was an immediate hit with the 4,500 on hand, arching a 3-pointer on his first field goal.

"Hit" being the operative word as the transfer from Mount San Antonio College made good on his first 3-point attempt and three of his four overall for 13 points in 26 minutes.

"It felt good to get that first one," Nevels said. "It was fun."

Nevels, the player who wears jersey No. 1, immediately stamped himself as the ‘Bows’ top 3-point shooting threat, an encouraging sign for a team that has suffered a paucity of 3-point shooting capability since Zane Johnson departed.

Indeed, the ‘Bows ranked 164th on 3-point shooting in 2012-13, a major reason why they weren’t better than 17-15 overall and fifth in the Big West Conference.

For a while Friday night, Nevels looked like their only one, too.

It would not be until 16:03 remained in the second half that Aaron Valdes made a 3-pointer, the first ‘Bow other than Nevels to do so.

Overall, UH shot 5-for-19 from 3-point range and Nevels and reserve Michael Harper were the only guards to do so. Keith Shamburger, Nevels’ backcourt mate, was 0-for-4 and Brandon Jawato was 0-for-3.

On the flip side, the 6-foot, 2-inch Nevels was in large part responsible for holding the Tigers’ top player, Patrick Miller, to five points in his time on the court. Miller finished with 15 points and Tennessee State made just one of 15 3-point attempts.

"Coach (Gib Arnold) has given me the green light to go for it when I have the shot," Nevels said. "He wants me to shoot it."

Arnold said, "He has great athleticism and we want him to be that 2 guard that, when we need a (3-pointer), he is the guy that we go to."

That was the idea when UH went shopping for guards in the offseason. The ‘Bows tried to land Nevels and teammate Corey Allen as a backcourt package from the undefeated California Junior College champions. Allen went to South Florida, but with Nevels turning down Seton Hall and Morehead State, among others, UH looks to have filled its biggest need.

"It’s really good to be here," Nevels said. "I’m happy how it all turned out."

One game into its 2013-14 season, so are the ‘Bows.