Hawaii center Stefan Jovanovic remembers UC Davis guard Corey Hawkins, the 2015 Big West Player of the Year. He recalls some of what the defending Big West regular-season champs did in their three meetings with the Rainbow Warriors — UH took two of them, including the rubber match in the 2015 Big West tournament semifinals.
But when it came to the unusual way their meeting ended at the Stan Sheriff Center last year, the fog of war was too strong for the big man on the night before the teams’ first meeting of 2016. UH (15-2, 4-0 Big West) seeks its eighth straight win overall today, and will try to keep pace with UC Irvine (5-0) at the top of the league standings.
UH BASKETBALL
at Stan Sheriff Center
>> UC Davis (7-10, 2-2 Big West) at Hawaii (15-2, 4-0)
>> When: 7 tonight
>> TV: OC Sports
>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
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“I kind of remember it through the fog, but I can’t really talk too much about it,” Jovanovic said of the meeting with Davis almost exactly a year ago, Jan. 22, 2015, an 84-76 win by the Rainbow Warriors. “I know we beat them here, but I don’t remember what exactly happened.”
The game got heated in the final moments, with some objects thrown on the court from the direction of the UH student section. UC Davis coach Jim Les waved his players to the locker room without shaking hands, citing the safety of his team as the reason.
There are apparently no hard feelings on UH’s end; Jovanovic couldn’t remember the handshake incident.
“I really have no idea. … The mist,” he said, waving his hand in front of his face for effect.
Les, the reigning Big West Coach of the Year, has gotten over it, too. On Friday he was complimentary of the Sheriff crowd.
“I love the environment, it’s a great arena,” Les said. “You’ve got passionate fans, and obviously a really good basketball team. … I’ve been really impressed (with this year’s UH team). I’ve always respected their talent. Really appreciate how well they play together, and this will be a big challenge for us because Hawaii does not have many weaknesses.”
UC Davis has moved past its 25-win NIT season of 2015 in just about every way; the Aggies (7-10, 2-2 Big West) have taken their lumps while they’ve learned to compete post-Hawkins.
The silky-smooth Hawkins, now in the NBA D-League, was a fun player to watch over the last few years. He had a 40-point game at the Sheriff.
“He was fun to coach, too,” Les said with a laugh. “He made me look a lot smarter than I am.”
The matchup figures to take on a different tone now; less finesse, more physical. It is a battle of the top two Big West teams in rebounding margin — UH is tops at plus-6.5 per game, while Davis snares 2.6 more than its opponents.
“Certainly defensive rebounding travels and we hope it made the trip here to Hawaii,” Les said.
Forward Josh Fox leads the Aggies with 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while UCD is still a capable 3-point shooting team at 36 percent.
“I think they’re just more well-rounded, probably, and more versatile,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “I mean, they play off different guys, as opposed to Hawkins as a key cog. … A lot of times you see teams lose a player of the year-type guy and continue to perform and be effective. You see other ways they can impact the game.”
UH is dealing with a little of that, too. Wing Aaron Valdes, until recently the team’s leading scorer, is still doubtful to play as he makes his way back from a turf toe injury that kept him out of last week’s road wins at UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton. Sophomore Isaac Fleming, coming off a career-high 23 points at CSF, has played with the first team in Valdes’ absence.
The nonchalant Jovanovic gave a slight shrug when asked about the rebounding battle with Davis.
“We’ve done a very good job boxing out and rebounding as a team,” he said. “If you can keep up with someone like Oklahoma, those teams, then you can keep up with anyone.”
Davis has played a tough schedule; the Aggies have already played at Irvine and Long Beach State, both losses. They eked out wins at home over CSUN and UC Riverside. Darius Graham had the go-ahead 3-pointer at home Thursday in the 58-55 UCD victory over the Highlanders.
Red-headed guard Siler Schneider (10.4 ppg), a 6-foot-3 true freshman, is an up-and-coming player. He scored the game-winning basket with 1.7 seconds left against CSUN, getting Davis on the board in the Big West standings.
