Isaac Fleming gets a chance to atone in front of friendly faces and against familiar foes.
The Hawaii freshman guard was held out for all but a minute of the Rainbow Warriors’ last two games because of an off-court outburst while UH competed in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida last week.
All is apparently well again on the home front. UH recovered from its cross-country trek over the weekend and Fleming, a Delaware native, is ready to resume his role as a scorer and playmaker off the bench as the ‘Bows (6-2) take on Delaware State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"I’m ready to get back out there and play with the guys," Fleming said.
It is the first game at the Sheriff for the Rainbow Warriors since routing Hawaii Hilo on Nov. 19. They played four times since, going 3-1.
The Hornets of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (3-3) are coming off a landmark seven-point win at Wake Forest on Friday. It was the program’s first victory over an ACC team.
UH coach Benjy Taylor came away impressed watching film of the fast-paced Hornets.
"To their credit, if you didn’t look at the jerseys and who was who, you would have thought they were Wake Forest," Taylor said. "But they played really good basketball. Wake made a run at them and they held them off. I got a lot of respect for them."
Most of DSU’s players are known to Fleming, who hails from nearby Wilmington. Fleming is likewise known to Hornets coach Keith Walker.
UH BASKETBALL Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Stan Sheriff Center
» Delaware State (3-3) at Hawaii (6-2) » TV: OC Sports. » Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM » Series: First meeting |
Fleming scored a team-high 15 points in a momentous win over Pittsburgh on Maui on Nov. 21. But after dropping the Gulf Coast opener against San Francisco, UH made do without Fleming against Marist and East Carolina, winning both those games to take the consolation championship and fly home on Thanksgiving tired but uplifted.
Fleming said his outburst came as a response to learning that his maternal aunt Vicky had recently died of cancer back home in Delaware, but that he’s since refocused on the task at hand.
"I felt like I let (my teammates) down, being emotional," he said. "Being too emotional and letting it get to me. So I owe this game for my team."
He said he would dedicate the rest of the season to his aunt.
Delaware State was held up due to mechanical problems on a flight from Baltimore to Houston on Sunday, and missed their connecting flight in Houston. The Hornets arrived Monday afternoon.
"That’s the way it goes sometimes," Walker said. "On the road, you gotta make those adjustments."
Guard Amere May scored a career-high 32 points against the Demon Deacons, while forward Kendall Gray nearly had a triple-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocks.
Five Hornets have averaged double-figure scoring.
"We’re what I call up-tempo," Walker said. "We’re not a run-and-gun-style basketball team, but we do play up-tempo. It’s a fast-paced game, but it’s structured."
UH has had time to install a little more offense since returning home, but Taylor cautioned not to expect all the bells and whistles yet. The ‘Bows are still looking for more efficient scoring out of guard Garrett Nevels (12.6 ppg, 39 percent shooting) and swingman Negus Webster-Chan (9.0, 37.1 percent).
"A lot of it is mental and being ready to shoot when the ball comes to you," Taylor said. "We’re still feeling our way in a lot of areas, but we’ve got good shooters who need to start shooting good percentages. A lot of that is shot selection and whether or not they’re ready to play."
Forward Mike Thomas said his team learned from its losses to High Point and USF, which both featured offensive struggles late in an otherwise competitive game.
"As a unit I feel like we’re maturing," Thomas said. "We’re learning from our losses. We’re not taking anything lightly. … We’re still going out (Tuesday) as if they’re Duke or Carolina or Pitt."
After the DSU game, UH departs for Salt Lake City to take on BYU on Saturday.