Canda first player to commit to Ganot’s ‘Bows

Hawaii has its first player commitment of the Eran Ganot era.

Bryce Canda, a 6-foot-4 point guard at Central Wyoming College, visited the Manoa campus over the weekend. On Monday, the sophomore offered an oral commitment to play for UH and Ganot starting in the 2015-16 season.

Kumbeno Memory, Canda’s former coach with the I-5 Elite AAU squad, said he expects Canda to sign a binding national letter of intent as soon as Tuesday.

"A very high basketball IQ. Definitely knows the game and how to think the game," Memory said "I think he’s a complete player, but also his ability to shoot the ball, space and stretch the floor out, he’s ready to do it at the Division I level right now."

Canda has two years of eligibility remaining. He could compete for playing time with UH’s returning backcourt rotation of Roderick Bobbitt, Quincy Smith and Isaac Fleming.

Canda was a first-team all-state guard at Grant High School in Portland, but was lightly recruited at the time.

"He developed and honed his skills and things have dramatically changed for him in two years," Memory said.

The Portland, Ore., native attracted some recent attention after an efficient sophomore season at CYC. Canda averaged 19.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the field, 41.5 percent on 3-pointers and 79.6 percent on free throws. He contributed 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists for a team that went 19-10. As a freshman, he shot 46.1 percent from long range.

Memory said Canda’s primary choices besides UH were Creighton and Central Arkansas. The spring signing period started April 13 — four days after Ganot was introduced as UH coach — and runs through May 18.

UH had four scholarships open up from player departures last season; Ganot theoretically has three more to award. But depending on UH’s to-be-determined sanctions as a result of the NCAA investigation into former coach Gib Arnold and the program, the Rainbows may have a reduced scholarship count for the coming season.