Avoiding another slow start is part of UH’s history lesson

A slow start in the Pearl Harbor Invitational could mean the Hawaii basketball team becomes precisely what the Rainbow Warriors are set to honor at Bloch Arena.

History.

UH (4-3) looks to get out of the gate quicker today against Seton Hall (5-2), a high-powered Big East team that returned most of its nucleus from the NCAA Tournament in March. The next day, the ’Bows play a veteran Princeton (2-3) team on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The ’Bows came out tepidly in their previous two outings. They fell behind 16-0 against Troy, going scoreless more than five minutes into that loss, and had to rebound from a game-opening drought of nearly five minutes to beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

“It’s just preparing better for games, whether it be warmups or our mental approach in the locker room before games,” said leading scorer and rebounder Noah Allen (16.3, 6.7). “It’s just a mentality and we have to build a good habit with it.”

Whether it was a practice or a weight session over the past week, the UH coaches emphasized giving full effort from the get-go.

They’ll have to in front of current military personnel and veterans in historic Bloch on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Attendance is by special invitation only, but the games are on national TV.

“It’s been a little bit of a trend,” UH coach Eran Ganot acknowledged of the starts, adding that his team can’t afford to get off that way against anyone.

“Certainly not Seton Hall,” he said.

In UH’s latest attempt at an effective first five, freshman point guard Matt Owies might make his first start in the backcourt next to Sheriff Drammeh coming off a season-best performance off the bench.

While UH is focused squarely on The Hall — a team averaging 82.4 points per game, a full dozen more than the ’Bows — it had time for some history lessons. There were tours of Pearl Harbor for the event’s four teams over the past two days.

The teams (including Cal, which UH beat in the NCAA Tournament in March but will not play the ’Bows here) practiced in Bloch on Monday. Conditions were described as hot and humid.

Ganot and Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard complimented event organizers for dressing it up.

“This whole experience, you feel like you can feel the history of it and the significance of each site, even Bloch,” Ganot said. “It’s (like) one of the old school gyms that some of us have played or coached in over the years.”

Willard called it “a throwback style. … Again, you’re playing at Pearl Harbor, on the 75th anniversary, in such a historic arena. I don’t think there’s one negative I can think of.”

UH has no record of its last appearance in Bloch, but educated guesswork put it in the 1950s. The building, which seats a couple thousand, survived the Dec. 7, 1941 attack by Japan.

In March, Seton Hall won its first Big East tournament title since 1993 for the Pirates’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006. To do it, they had to beat Creighton, No. 5 Xavier and No. 3 Villanova — the eventual national champion — on successive days.

The Hall lost guard Isaiah Whitehead to the Brooklyn Nets. Almost every other difference-maker is back.

Junior guard Khadeen Carrington (21.0 ppg) paces the Pirates in the backcourt, Desi Rodriguez (15.0) patrols the wing and Angel Delgado (12.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg) is an imposing paint force at 6-10.

“This core group of guys has really stepped up their game, a little bit at a time,” Willard said.

Projected starting lineups

Seton Hall

PG 30 Madison Jones 6-2 160 Sr.

SG 0 Khadeen Carrington 6-4 195 Jr.

SF 20 Desi Rodriguez 6-6 215 Jr.

PF 14 Ismael Sanogo 6-8 215 Jr.

PF 31 Angel Delgado 6-10 240 Jr.

When Seton Hall has the ball

Carrington, a 21.0 ppg scorer, has increased his range to 3-point territory (55.2 percent shooting from downtown) this season after being known primarily as a mid-range shooter last year. Jones, the only new starter in 2016-17, has inherited the playmaking duties vacated by NBA Draftee Isaiah Whitehead. Delgado is a nightly double-double threat.

Hawaii

Pos. No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PG 23 Sheriff Drammeh 6-3 160 So.

PG 23 Matt Owies 6-0 180 Fr.

SF 32 Noah Allen 6-7 215 Sr.

PF 12 Jack Purchase 6-8 200 So.

PF 21 Gibson Johnson 6-8 220 Jr.

When Hawaii has the ball

The Rainbow Warriors are working on ways to weave Johnson further into the fabric of the four-out offense. Instead of having Johnson repost repeatedly from one block to the other as the ball is swung, UH might try to bring him out for pick-and-pop or dribble-handoff action more akin to the way Stefan Jankovic was used last year.