Time to shine

Ready or not, young ones, it’s time for college basketball.

Hawaii hopes an accelerated welcome to Division I hoops does not equal a rude one for some of its youngest players when it opens the 2013-14 season today against Tennessee State in the 49th Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic.

Preseason injuries to guards Brandon Spearman and Quincy Smith mean some of the freshest Rainbow Warriors will get a chance to play immediately.

Spearman, a senior starter, is out an unknown length of time with a high right ankle sprain. Smith, UH’s backup point guard, is questionable for three Classic games through early Tuesday morning with lower back tightness.

Redshirt freshman Aaron Valdes and frosh Mike Thomas will get the bulk of Spearman’s minutes. Redshirt freshman Dyrbe Enos is the backup ballhandler.

This week, Valdes practiced in Spearman’s stead with first-teamers Keith Shamburger, Garrett Nevels, Isaac Fotu and Christian Standhardinger to prepare for a start in his first official game.

"I just have to be ready when Coach (Gib Arnold) calls me," said Valdes, who had eight points and 11 rebounds in UH’s exhibition win over BYU-Hawaii on Halloween. "It’ll be a good learning experience. Having four years to play, this is going to be big for me. We’re playing against good competition. But we’re just going to have to … make smart decisions out there. That’s what I hope to do and not turn the ball over."

Hawaii’s 19 turnovers were a bit of a concern in the exhibition. But that shouldn’t stop the ‘Bows from trying to play up-tempo behind its rebuilt backcourt and mobile bigs.

UH ended last season on a four-game slide en route to a 17-15 record. But the makeup and temperament of this year’s team is radically different. UH battled itself for a solid five weeks with a preseason expanded by a fortnight by the NCAA. Arnold said the extra time was "overall on the positive side" and he didn’t blame UH’s injuries on it.

"They’re definitely excited and have got a great competitive spirit," Arnold said of his players. "They’re ready to play, we’re ready to coach. It’s been a long preseason."

All four teams in this edition of the Rainbow Classic reached the postseason last year, making it easily the best field since the event went to a four-team round-robin format in 2009.

"We’re going to be tested real early. I think it’ll be good for us. We’ll see where we are," Arnold said.

For Shamburger, it’s been a long time coming. He’s played against UH for the past three years — the first two at San Jose State and last year as a scout-teamer while he redshirted.

"This is the big deal. We get a record now off these games," Shamburger said. "I’m going to go out there and give it my all no matter what the outcome is."

Tennessee State of the Ohio Valley Conference lost four starters from its CIT team of a year ago, but the sole starter that’s left must be respected. Point guard Patrick Miller is a returning first-team all-conference selection and has the green light at all times.

"He’s my coach on the court," Tigers coach Travis Williams said. "I’m expecting him to embrace that role. We’re young, have (nine) new guys. He’s gotta be that guy who makes us go."

RAINBOW CLASSIC CAPSULES

Hawaii
>> Conference: Big West (picked 6th)
>> 2012-13 record: 17-15 (CIT first round)
>> Key returnees: F Christian Standhardinger (15.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg), F Isaac Fotu (10.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
>> Coach Gib Arnold: “I think we’ll really, really be tested. Since the change of format (to four-team round robin) it’s the best teams we’ve had here. … Different mix. New Mexico State’s big, Tennessee State’s really athletic. Western Michigan’s going to set a lot of ball screens and really grind you.”
>> Notes: UH is 3-0 in season openers under Arnold, who has not lost a Rainbow Classic game … The ’Bows are 82-62 (.569) in all Rainbow Classic games … UH’s returnees account for almost exactly 50 percent of all minutes played last season, and almost exactly 50 percent of its rebounding.
 

Tennessee State
>> Conference: Ohio Valley (picked 5th OVC East)
>> 2012-13 record: 18-15 (CIT first round)
>> Key returnees: G Patrick Miller (14.8 ppg, 5.9 apg)
>> Coach Travis Williams: “We like to get up and down the court, create an exciting brand of basketball. … And we like to get after it defensively. We want to be that blue-collar basketball team.”
>> Notes:  UH and TSU had four meetings in the 1962-63 season and three more in ’63-64, but haven’t played since. … Chicago natives Miller and UH guard Brandon Spearman are good friends. “That’s my guy,” Spearman said. … One of TSU’s four departed starters is forward Robert Covington, now of the Houston Rockets.
 

New Mexico State
>> Conference: WAC (picked 1st)
>> 2012-13 record: 24-11 (NCAA first round)
>> Key returnees: G Daniel Mullings (13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.3 spg), C Sim Bhullar (10.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg)
>> Coach Marvin Menzies: “We’re excited to have some guys who have some size and length and know how to play. We obviously look at that as a strength of our team. We tried to keep it balanced by not having that as our only form of attack.”
>> Notes: Brothers Sim and Tanveer Bhullar are 7-foot-5 and 7-3. … Ex-’Bow Hauns Brereton had a memorable WAC tournament dunk on the Aggies 6-10 center Tshilidzi “Chili” Nephawe (now a junior) in 2012, but NMSU got the better of that semifinal, 92-81. That was UH’s last game as a WAC member. … Mullings had a triple-double against UH as a freshman.

Western Michigan
>> Conference: Mid-American (picked 2nd MAC West)
>> 2012-13 record: 22-13 (CBI semifinals)
>> Key returnees: F Shayne Whittington (13.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg), G David Brown (11.0 ppg, 1.5 spg)
>> Coach Steve Hawkins: “Every time we come here we’re just greeted with open arms. It’s a great place for us to start off the season. … It’s a tremendous team-building thing. If I have a choice I’m coming to Hawaii every year.”
>> Notes: WMU has traveled to Hawaii for the 2005 Rainbow Classic and 2009 Diamond Head Classic. … WMU’s 22 wins last year were its most since the 2003-04 season … Hawkins is the longest-tenured coach in the MAC at 11 years. … WMU assistant coach Larry Farmer is a former ’Bows assistant under Bob Nash.