‘Bows recruit Canda misses eligibility, may play in spring

The first recruiting class of Hawaii basketball coach Eran Ganot has taken a hit at the outset of the 2015-16 academic calendar.

Point guard Bryce Canda, who was Ganot’s first signee, will not be on the Rainbow Warriors’ roster for the coming season — at least, not initially.

Canda, out of Central Wyoming College, needed to fulfill a course over the summer to complete his associate’s degree and gain eligibility. He came up short, sources indicated, despite coming out to Manoa for summer school. He participated in UH team workouts as well.

Canda said in a message Tuesday that he would not be joining the team in the fall but would try to make it into UH in the spring. Classes began on Monday.

Ganot declined comment Tuesday, but he did not rule out the possibility of Canda joining the team at a later date. Canda (6 feet 4, 195 pounds) had two years of eligibility and was expected to add significant size and depth at the point, where UH already has starter Roderick Bobbitt and backup Quincy Smith returning as seniors.

Canda, of Portland, Ore., was named NJCAA First-Team All-Region IX as a sophomore at CWC, where he averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He especially excelled as a 3-point shooter, converting on 44.9 percent from deep in conference play.

UH signed another point guard, freshman Sheriff Drammeh of Sweden, in recent days. Previously this summer, Ganot added forwards Sai Tummala (Arizona State) and Jack Purchase (Auburn).

The Rainbows are operating with a reduced scholarship — 12, down from 13 — as part of their self-imposed sanctions as a result of an NCAA investigation into former coach Gib Arnold’s UH program.