‘Bows go to Fotu for buckets

Sporting one of the most recognizable hairdos on the island has its occasional drawbacks.

Such is the burden for Hawaii forward Isaac Fotu. It’s become increasingly difficult for the 6-foot-8 sophomore to remain anonymous — off the basketball court or on it.

"I’m getting stopped for photos way more," he said with a laugh. "People are recognizing me. But sometimes when I’m not in the mood I just put a beanie on and, I’m invisible."

Of late, Fotu is drawing all kinds of attention wherever he goes. In the post, the double teams arrive frantically, and nearly automatically. Opponents have come to realize that the alternative — allowing the New Zealander to go to work against solo coverage — is tantamount to conceding two points.

That’s the degree of his domination in Big West play. Efficiency is the Kiwi’s specialty.

Fotu is seventh in the country in field-goal percentage (.607) while attacking from the elbow or low block with an ever-expanding repertoire of spin moves and finishes over either shoulder from huge, ambidextrous hands. Even his mid-range jumper is falling with regularity. It’s all contributed to his 18.7 scoring average in league play and 15.8 overall, up more than five points from his Big West Co-Freshman of the Year campaign.

The Cult of the Fro, the UH student section, will hold a special gathering Thursday for "Wig Night" against Big West leader UC Irvine at the Stan Sheriff Center. It’s a fitting tribute for the player who shot 13-for-16 for 30 points in leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 90-86 overtime win at Irvine last month. Several other games have been nearly as impressive.

"He’s playing the way I always knew he would play," UH coach Gib Arnold said. "I got that much respect for him. He’s come into his own halfway through this sophomore year and he’s become that dominant player that we’ve been asking him to become. He’s demanding the ball and he’s demanding the respect of the other teams in the conference."

He’s also remade himself into a formidable free-throw shooter, thanks to some newfound mental fortitude.

After going 10-for-10 at the line en route to 24 points against Cal State Fullerton last Saturday — helping lead UH (18-7, 7-4) to a record fourth straight conference road win — Fotu is shooting 88 percent at the stripe in Big West games, third in the league, and by far the best among big men.

He shot 66.3 percent at the stripe as a freshman and was particularly erratic earlier this season when he played through a fractured shooting hand. In addition to being freed of the cumbersome wrapping on his hand since the turn of the calendar year, he’s now freed his mind of self-doubt.

"Every time I step up to the line, I think of something positive, whether it’s my family back home, or a good grade I got on a test," Fotu said. "Anything positive to keep my mind off the free throw and just stay positive. It’s been working so far."

While his rebounding (6.1 per game) and shot blocking (0.84) leave room for improvement as the de facto "5" man in UH’s undersized starting lineup, it’s difficult to be critical about anything in his offensive game, especially now that he’s upped his assertiveness to match his abilities.

In a sense, he is fighting his own unselfish-to-a-fault upbringing every time he extends an arm for the ball.

"I think it’s just the Tongans, they’re too humble sometimes,"said Fotu’s father, Manu, a former pro rugby player from Tonga. "I said (to my children), it’s all right to be humble and good off the field, but you gotta be aggressive on the field. … WhenI played rugby, Iused to be humble on the field, but you get hit hard, and it just makes you mad. You gotta hit hard back. On the basketball (court), you gotta be controlled-aggressive."

The younger Fotu has evolved his approach without compromising his happy-go-lucky attitude or alienating teammates.

"Me and Fotu just have a connection and we look for each other, and it’s fun to play with him," senior forward Christian Standhardinger said. "He’s normally running there where I expect him to run, so I can pass it to him. He’s a very good player and Hawaii can be very happy that he has another two years around."

If anything, the UH coaches have to urge him to shoot more and call for the ball on plays that aren’t necessarily drawn up for him.

"I think it’s part of his individual makeup that he doesn’t want to ruffle anybody’s feathers and he’s just going to do what he’s told," assistant coach Scott Fisher said. "It’s still the case where there are times in sport when selfishness is a good thing. And he is so good and so efficient right now, probably like to see him be a little more selfish.

"He needs to know that offensively, he is our best option."

Others are aware. Fotu’s hometown professional team, the New Zealand Breakers, made a run at him after his freshman season, offering a $100,000-per-year contract. After some deliberation with his family back in Auckland, he came back, deciding his Polynesian (half-Tongan, half English) background still meshed with an education in the Hawaiian islands. He is especially close to UH assistant coach Brandyn Akana.

But those contract offers are only likely to escalate from here.

On Tuesday, Fotu again voiced his desire to be a four-year player at UH and attain his degree, while acknowledging he wishes to someday follow in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi Steven Adams of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Adams was one-and-done with the Pitt Panthers.

"I think there will be more offers, but I think it’d have to be a pretty good offer for me to leave here," Fotu said. "I think just expanding my game, also becoming more explosive, more athletic, and also off-court stuff, I’m trying to get a degree first before I do anything, in case basketball doesn’t work out for me. Just mature as a person as well. I think I still have the mind-set of a 15-year-old boy."

He’s only half-joking when he says that last part, but he’s still doing himself a disservice. Patience has been one of his best virtues with Hawaii … to this point.

"Probably a year ago I would have probably just took that pro contract and left," he said. "But I just saw all the positive things I could get from here, the positive things I can give back as well to the state of Hawaii and the people. Just learned to be patient, ’cause one day I think college will be the best days of my life when I look back and just smile at what I’ve done here."