Nevels named Most Oustanding Player
Guard Garrett Nevels was given the Art Woolaway Most Outstanding Player award at the postseason banquet for the Hawaii men’s basketball team Wednesday night at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.
Nevels, the team’s lone senior, overcame midseason surgery to repair the thumb on his shooting hand and averaged 10.8 points per game. Nevels, one of two team captains, was also named the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Forward Aaron Valdes was named UH’s Most Improved Player after leading the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg.
Point guard Roderick Bobbitt, who led the nation in total steals with 100, was the team’s Newcomer of the Year. Isaac Fleming was named Freshman of the Year.
Freshman walk-ons Zach Buscher and Brocke Stepteau were given the Team Player awards, while Missouri transfers Negus Webster-Chan and Stefan Jankovic were given the Community Service Award for their service to TJ Fernandez, a 14-year-old boy with an inoperable brain tumor.
The banquet was a sendoff of sorts for interim coach Benjy Taylor, who led UH to a surprising 22-13 record and an appearance in the Big West tournament championship game.
Payne, Larsen win first-round heats
Lahaina’s Dusty Payne and Granger Larsen won their first-round heats Wednesday during the Oakley Lowers Pro at San Clemente, Calif.
Payne posted a two-wave total of 17.43 in 2- to 3-foot surf during his four-man heat, while Larsen scored a 16.67.
Three other Hawaii surfers also advanced by finishing second in their heats: the North Shore’s Fredrick Patacchia, competing in the same heat as Larsen, recorded a 15.20; Honolulu’s Ezekiel Lau scored a 12.03 and Haiku’s Tanner Hendrickson had a 10.00.
Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz, Haiku’s Ian Walsh, the Big Island’s Torrey Meister and Sunset Beach’s Mason Ho failed to advance.
Enriquez signs with Chaminade soccer
Maricruz Enriquez of Riverside, Calif., has signed to play next season for the Chaminade women’s soccer team.
Enriquez, a forward, only played her freshman year at Patriot High School, then played club soccer for the Corona Empire.
Enriquez is the seventh member of the Silverswords’ 2015 recruiting class.
BYUH women to play in D-II championship
The Brigham Young-Hawaii women’s tennis team is seeded No. 1 in the West Region and will advance directly to the NCAA Division II Championship.
The Seasiders, who recently captured their ninth consecutive Pacific West Conference title and are 30-1, will bypass the regional tournament.
The national tournament is May 13-16 at Surprise, Ariz.
Hilo pair will play in golf regional
The University of Hawaii Hilo’s Dalen Yamauchi and Kyeton Littel were selected to participate in the NCAA Division II Men’s South Central/West Regional Golf Championships.
The tournament is May 4-6 at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo, Calif.
In March at Hiddenbrooke, Yamauchi finished ninth and Littel placed 36th during the Tim Tierney Pioneer Preview Shootout.
