One by one they walked out from the Stan Sheriff Center tunnels and greeted new University of Hawaii basketball coach Benjy Taylor and the circle of Rainbow Warriors players gathered at midcourt.
UH hoops alumni Johnny White, David Hallums, Artie Wilson, Tim Shepherd, Geremy Robinson and Rod Aldridge joined the circle. For many minutes they shared stories of hardships during their playing careers, attempting to bridge the gap to these modern ‘Bows and the adversity they face.
Taylor, the acting head coach in the wake of Gib Arnold’s firing, was notified by athletic director Ben Jay he will be allowed to coach the entire 2014-15 season.
Prior to that he was not guaranteed to even coach through the Nov. 14 season opener. Now he’s the 20th coach in program history, albeit on an interim one-year basis, and one who must preside over the future fallout of an NCAA investigation.
"I was excited. I was excited for the program, for the university, for the state of Hawaii," Taylor said. "These kids are ready to play. They’re excited. It’s a breath of fresh air for us, really."
Amid rampant public speculation of player defections and general uncertainty, forging some stability was the order of the day Friday for the embattled team. If Taylor was the proverbial anvil Friday, the six former ‘Bows — spanning the early 1970s to the year 2000 — were the hammer.
"They just talked about all the hard times they had when they went here to school and played for this team," junior point guard Roderick Bobbitt said. "So we just heard different perspectives on things, and they just let us know they were here for us. It was pretty cool for them to come talk to us. It meant a lot."
Some knew a thing or two about tumultuous coaching transitions. Hallums was a guard during the program’s tumultuous handover from Frank Arnold (Gib Arnold’s father) to Riley Wallace in 1987. UH went 4-25 in Wallace’s first year, then improved to 17 wins the next.
"Adversity makes people rise, to me," Hallums said. "We’ll see … who’s going to rise to the top. That’s the reason I wanted to show these guys, when I was here, Coach Arnold (departed). And Riley came in and flipped the program upside down regarding his style. Now (Taylor) gotta do the same thing. He’s gotta put a stamp on it. Can’t feel sorry. Look who’s around you; that’s it. You can’t cry about who’s not here. You worry about who’s here."
The newfound job security for Taylor was not enough to prevent the team’s first player defection.
Freshman forward Sammis Reyes felt better options would be found elsewhere. He requested a release from the team Friday, and is expected to transfer to another school at the semester break.
"We’re all in a hard position," said the 6-foot-6 Chilean, who wished the team well. "You know, I analyzed my options and … talked to my people back home, where I am from, the people that’s been helping me throughout all these years. They told me, you know, I have to do whatever is the best for me right now. And I think the best for me is to leave."
There’s also danger of another huge loss. All-conference forward Isaac Fotu, who is currently ineligible to play in games, was not at practice Friday. Sources said he is weighing the option of turning professional instead of sitting out an as-yet-unknown number of games this season but hadn’t yet made up his mind.
Fotu, a preseason All-Big West Conference selection and the team’s top returning scorer (14.9) and rebounder (6.1), couldn’t be reached for comment.
Swingman Negus Webster-Chan was not upset about player attrition. He said he is not mad at Reyes.
"Fotu’s situation, whatever he has to do, he has to do," Webster-Chan said. "We’re not mad at him, either. That’s my brother. And the guys that are still here, we’re just going to make it work."
Taylor said, "You know, we’re just worried about the guys who showed up today. But that being said, to a man, to a coach, to a player, Fotu is family. And whatever Fotu decides, we love him, and he’ll always be a part of this. And we love him."
Forward Stefan Jankovic was back on the court after missing earlier practices after Arnold’s firing.
The players present spoke of unifying around Taylor, a former player at Richmond (1985-89) and head coach at Chicago State (2007-10) who prefers an up-and-down tempo. He isn’t expected to change much of Arnold’s system and sets.
Jay’s statement Friday in support of Taylor read, "Benjy will provide leadership and guidance for the UH men’s basketball program, while ensuring that our student-athletes continue to pursue athletic and academic success. The student-athletes expressed to me their desire to have Benjy at the helm and that is how we will proceed as we prepare for the start of the 2014-15 season."
Taylor said he’s elevated administrative assistant Brandon Loyd, a UCLA alumnus, to full assistant and is interviewing candidates for the third and final assistant position.
UH is to play a closed-door scrimmage against Brigham Young-Hawaii on Saturday in preparation for its exhibition against Hawaii Pacific University on Thursday.
The ring of "head coach" was finally setting in to Taylor by the end of Friday’s practice.
"It sounds wonderful, and it sounds challenging and it sounds fun. And we won’t let the people of Hawaii down."
