Considering the degree to which the Hawaii basketball team underwent a transformation this summer, it is fitting the Rainbow Warriors open the 2016-17 season tonight at home but on unfamiliar ground.
UH takes on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic on a special hardwood court imported into the Stan Sheriff Center for the stacked Armed Forces Classic doubleheader taking place in the afternoon.
Four elite teams and some of the most well-known coaches in the game will grace the floor. Then the big boys leave and UH, featuring 10 newcomers, and SIUE, a recent newcomer to Division I, face off with the customary “H” covered, and “Pearl Harbor” emblazoned on the baselines.
The Cougars, on paper, are an ideal opponent for a team that lost basically every meaningful player from a record 28-6 season. UH, which still might get relief from its NCAA postseason ban, paid the price in the meantime in scholarships and recruiting and was picked to finish eighth of nine Big West teams during the six-week preseason.
“Every year is a great challenge with a different group of characters,” second-year coach Eran Ganot said. “This year is as unique as any maybe you will ever see. … Sometimes you can lean on your really experienced guys. We don’t have that. We’re all going through it at the same time together.”
The Armed Forces setting, complete with U.S. Navy banners, could be a little surreal, but UH will do a couple of things to make fans feel at home. It’s a “greenout” game. UH will unveil its updated NCAA Tournament banner in the rafters prior to tipoff.
Then a totally new UH starting five takes the court for a season opener for the first time in 40 years. Among them, senior small forward Noah Allen and junior power forward Gibson Johnson bring the most college experience, while sophomore Sheriff Drammeh is the only 2015-16 rotation player back this season — but is playing a brand-new position, point guard.
”I think we’re all just ready to get out there and show what we’ve been working on,” said sophomore wing Zach Buscher, an ‘Iolani graduate who’s moved into the rotation. “I’d say this year’s team is a lot younger, we’re not as athletic as last year … guys who aren’t experienced at this level, but we all know we can play.”
UH’s three Rainbow Classic opponents had a combined record of 29-63 last year. The other two teams in the round-robin field, Texas State and Florida Atlantic, play a 5 p.m. game at ‘Iolani while the Sheriff is occupied by the AFC.
Edwardsville has been Division I since 2008. The Cougars enjoyed some successful years in NCAA D-II tournaments, but have struggled since their jump — they’ve yet to record a winning season at this level.
Under a new coach in Jon Harris last year, SIUE went 6-22. Harris coached under Cuonzo Martin for seven years, took the job in his hometown, then watched UH upset Martin’s Cal team in the NCAA first round.
“You give credit where it’s due,” Harris said. “Hawaii’s done some really good things, had a really good program. I know they had some turnover, but Coach (Ganot) has done some great things, man, in a short amount of time, honestly. It’ll definitely be a challenge for us (tonight).”
The Cougars got their top two scorers back, including high man Burke Eslik (14.2 ppg), a senior from Turkey. He dropped 40 points at Morehead State last year, the most of the season by an Ohio Valley Conference player.
Tre Harris, the coach’s nephew, transferred from Kansas State and could provide a scoring punch off the bench. The Cougars are known for their speed and athleticism, not their size; 6-11 center Glen Pierre Jr. is out with a thumb injury.
“I think they’re going to pick up fullcourt man-to-man,” said assistant coach John Montgomery, who had the scout. “Their point guard (Christian) Ellis is an athletic kid from the Bay Area, so he’s going to try to dog our point guard up and down the court … (offensively) they’re going to try to get shots for their wings. They run a lot of sets for those guys.”
