The good news going into this one was that the University of Hawaii was going to get a win one way or the other — as guaranteed as you can get, barring a power outage or some other calamity.
Manoa or Hilo, that was the only question. Well, yeah, not really much of one, since the Rainbow Warriors and Vulcans are from different divisions and different worlds when it comes to talent.
With all that has gone on recently for the quarry dwellers … winless football team, volleyball not as sharp as most years, a women’s hoops loss followed by a brawl that sent the athletic director to the hospital, this team coming off two losses … Manoa needed a win.
And a fun one.
"We had a great time," Christian Standhardinger said, after the 114-63 romp.
Sorry, Vulcans. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The visitors from Hilo hung with Gib Arnold’s team … for all of five minutes.
Then the Rainbow Warriors put on a display of its varied skills that have fans abuzz about possibilities in the Big West.
True, you can’t judge too much from a glorified scrimmage against a significantly smaller and less-skilled squad.
And, yes, it was just last year, when a November breakfast of multiple cupcakes had the more delusional fooled into predicting 20 wins for a Manoa team with a weak backcourt … a flaw that will get you into plenty of trouble in the Big West, which Hawaii learned when conference play started.
But, as the senior forward Standhardinger, who led all scorers with 22 points, agreed, this is clearly a different kind of team.
"Our style changed," he said. "With Hauns (Brereton) and Vander (Joaquim) you weren’t able to play as fast as we do now. We’re able to play faster and we have better shooters."
With Isaac Fotu at the other forward, all five players can run, and the Rainbows have plenty of punch off the bench, including the crazily athletic Aaron Valdes.
Keith Shamburger and Garrett Nevels with Dyrbe Enos and Quincy Smith coming off the bench won’t make 14 of 20 shots and go 19-2 on assists to turnovers every night. But the backcourt is clearly an upgrade from 2012-13, and it’s also still got handyman Brandon Spearman.
"Interchangeable parts is the biggest difference," Arnold said, adding that the overall foot quickness helps a lot on team defense as well as the fast break.
Efficiency was the word that came to mind as I watched Shamburger run the offense.
Hilo coach GE Coleman saw it, too.
"They have an excellent backcourt," he said. "They reverse it well, and they’ll hurt you with their shooting if you double down."
Put aside all the dunks, treys and blocks and I leave with two images that might have some bearing on the future. First, Fotu diving for a loose ball with his team up by 20. Then, Shamburger quickly and calmly dribbling around the perimeter, finding a soft spot and dropping in a 17-footer; then duplicating it again the next time up, almost exactly the same.
He won’t get open that easily against better teams, but he’s just one of several guards who can create his own shot and make it.
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Read Dave Reardon’s Quick Reads at staradvertiser.com/quickreads
