After close to three weeks of hands-on teaching, Laura Beeman plans to take a step back tonight.
As in past years, the Hawaii coach will spend the evening as a neutral observer mingling with the fans while the Rainbow Wahine basketball team makes its public debut in the annual Green vs. White scrimmage at the Stan Sheriff Center.
With a roster heavy on newcomers, Beeman will be among those eager to see how the group reacts to its first on-court appearance of the season.
“Definitely want to see the intensity level high in the competition, want to see how people react to fans. I’m just curious to see how we’re going to come out,” Beeman said.
Beeman said associate coach Alex Delanian and assistant coach Calamity McEntire will lead the teams in the scrimmage set for 7 p.m. Admission is free.
When fans last saw the Wahine, they were walking off Pauley Pavilion’s Nell and John Wooden Court after a 66-50 loss to host UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament last March. Eight members of that team — which finished 21-11 and captured the Big West tournament title — have since moved on as have two members of the coaching staff.
Tonight’s scrimmage will provide an indicator of the team’s progress close to three weeks into preseason practices with another three to go to the Nov. 11 season opener at USC. The Wahine will get a full dress rehearsal on Wednesday in an exhibition game against UH Hilo at the Sheriff Center.
“That’s what the Green and White scrimmage is (for), to see where we stand as a team and see what we need to fix as a team,” said guard Briana Harris, the team’s lone senior. “You see where our defense is, where our rebounding is. Then we’ll come back and clean it up in practice.”
Harris (8.4 points per game) and junior guard Sarah Toeaina (6.7 ppg) are UH’s leading returning scorers, while sophomore Olivia Crawford (3.4 ppg) started 20 games at point guard last season. Sophomore Lahni Salanoa has emerged as a leading contender at power forward after injuries limited her to 12 appearances last season. Leah Salanoa, Lahni’s twin sister, is pushing for time at the point. Freshmen Taylor Donohue and Makenna Woodfolk are the top options in the post, although Woodfolk missed practice time this week due to injury.
The Wahine expect to have 11 players available for the scrimmage and two freshmen — Woodfolk and guard Courtney Middap — will likely have their debuts delayed. Freshman forward Amy Atwell will redshirt this season while working back from knee surgery in the spring. Freshman forward Keleah-Aiko Koloi returned to full duty on Wednesday after missing more than a week with a knee injury.
Beeman plans to mix returnees with newcomers in splitting the roster for the first two 10-minute periods. She hopes to use different combinations in the second half against a scout team of male players, a regular practice in NCAA women’s basketball.
“The biggest thing we’re lacking as a team is experience and the only thing that’s going to give us that is to play,” Beeman said. “So the more we can play under the lights, with officials, against each other or against others the better it’s going to make us as a group. We need to go into the Nov. 11 game with as much 5-on-5 as we can.”
