Ganot keeping his head down to avoid ‘The Cloud’

Eran Ganot doesn’t think too much about what he calls The Cloud.

He’s too busy.

“We are consumed with this team,” said the University of Hawaii’s new basketball coach.

But The Cloud sometimes seeps into his thoughts. How can it not? It is always there, and will be until the NCAA finally decides whether or not UH has punished itself enough for seven violations of its rules. The self-imposed sanctions include vacated victories, reduced practice time and one less scholarship for two years. There’s no postseason ban, but you never know what the NCAA will do.

Hence, The Cloud.

Other than the obvious of one less spot to fill, the penalties as they stand aren’t enough to seriously affect recruiting. But the uncertainty is, and it will be used against UH by rivals.

Then there’s his contract. When UH fired Gib Arnold without cause last year, he managed to soak UH for $700,000 more than the school originally figured it owed him — due to faulty contract language.

Ganot said that’s why his three-year deal (believed to include an annual salary of around $200,000) took six months after his hiring to be signed. University officials — who were grilled by state legislators Tuesday regarding the embarrassing Arnold settlement — wanted to make sure the same thing couldn’t happen with the new coach.

“I never had a concern with the contract,” Ganot said. “I’m a guinea pig with the new template.”

Still, it’s now one less distraction as he tends to building on a team that won 22 games under interim coach Benjy Taylor last year. Ganot knows he will be compared to Taylor, who grabbed the hearts of UH fans for turning a team in crisis into a winner.

The former UH and St. Mary’s assistant said he wants to continue the team’s trademark aggressive defense, but “accountability on both sides of the ball” will include a more organized backside defensive rotation, whether the Rainbows are pressing or passive. He emphasizes “playing through things to a rebound.”

Ganot has this advantage: He doesn’t have to teach this group to play hard defense. Usually, that’s where getting buy-in can be difficult.

Improvement must come in putting the ball through the hoop, especially with the graduation of the solid Garrett Nevels and 3-point marksman Negus Webster-Chan’s decision to turn pro.

“We’re developing shooting and taking a look at shot selection,” Ganot said. “It’s a combination of putting in mechanics and the team taking better shots.”

Arnold’s office was full of framed jerseys of pro players he’d coached. The new occupant has just one, and unlike any of the predecessor’s collection, this jersey belonged to a former UH player. Anthony Carter and his 13-year NBA career will do if Ganot needs to show a player an example of where hard work to improve your shooting can get you.

“People ask, ‘How are they adjusting?’ We’re all learning. We all have to adjust,” Ganot said. “At the end of the day it’s about strong work ethic, great attitudes and great effort. Styles and all that? We have to find a middle ground.”

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quickreads.