Higa made a U-turn to UNLV

One canceled trip back home was his decision.

The other he had no control over.

Playing in Hawaii just never seemed to work out for Saint Louis alumnus Danny Higa, now a senior at UNLV.

After two years at College of Southern Nevada, Higa orally committed to the Rainbows in the summer of 2010.

But a week before his flight back home, the 5-foot-9 shortstop, who had also tripped to Long Beach State, got a phone call from his JC head coach.

“Coach (Tim) Chambers called me and said he’s going to UNLV and wanted me to come,” Higa said. “At that point, I was set on going home, but being with Tim for two years made me comfortable and that kind of made up my mind.”

Instead of the 2,700-mile flight back home, Higa drove 14 miles northwest to the campus of UNLV, where he started 32 of 33 games as a junior.

UNLV finished 33-25, winning its most games since 2005.

Ten teammates from CSN decided to follow Chambers to UNLV, helping Higa feel comfortable about his decision to stay on the mainland.

“For sure, that made the decision much easier, too,” Higa said. “I think early in the season we had a lot of guys bumping heads because we came in with the new coach and the guys already here thought he might play favorites.

“But we figured it out and I think this is a team this year that can make the tournament.”

Another factor was that UNLV was scheduled to play at Hawaii in 2012, meaning Higa could still play in front of the hometown crowd at least once.

The Rainbows were on the Rebels’ schedule until late in the offseason, when budget cuts forced UNLV to cancel its scheduled series in Hawaii.

“I like it up here, don’t get me wrong, but it was tough not getting to go back home and playing in front of family,” Higa said.

UNLV began the year going 1-2 against Loyola Marymount last weekend, but bounced back to beat No. 27 UC Irvine on Monday.

Higa started all four games at shortstop and collected two hits, scoring twice and driving in two more.

“Like everyone else, I’m just out here playing hard and seeing where baseball will take me,” Higa said. “I know it’s my last year and I’m just playing to win.”

UNLV is picked to finish second in the Mountain West Conference, behind six-time defending champion TCU.

The Rebels’ nonconference schedule includes Cal State Bakersfield and Washington State at home while playing a single game at Arizona State.

“I’m definitely excited to go play at Arizona State and play in that atmosphere, but more so I’m looking forward to getting the season going and getting out there and playing.”

UNLV will play a tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas, this weekend with games against host Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Utah and Nebraska.