Late-arriving Aussie making quick strides with UH hoops team

On the day he arrived in town from Australia last week, after 13 hours on an airplane with seats not spaciously designed for a 7-foot passenger, Owen Hulland was asked to shoot 20 free throws during his first University of Hawaii basketball practice.

He converted all 20.

“I was really tired,” Hulland recalled. “It was one of those days with the free throws.”

And while his shooting accuracy traveled intact across the International Date Line, Hulland was behind teammates who had started offseason training three weeks earlier. A complication with his visa application led to Hulland’s delay in reporting to the Rainbow Warriors.

“He’s probably behind the other guys because he didn’t have the three weeks they did,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “But he’s made improvement. … He has made a jump in one week. Hopefully, that continues.”

The offseason program of limited team-supervised workouts transitioned into the 10 full practices the ’Bows are permitted leading to next month’s Australian tour. Ganot, who returned Sunday after four days of scouting in Las Vegas, has completed the hectic recruiting period.

With four full practices in the books, Ganot said, “we’re so far ahead of where we’ve been in terms of teaching stuff. We’re probably going a little faster than we’d like, but that’s because of what’s coming up. … That being said, there are some newcomers who normally go through a slower process before their first game. Now they’re getting so much. I think there are times they’re frozen by it. We’re watching how they battle through it.”

Eddie Stansberry, a guard who transferred from City College of San Francisco, and Brandon Thomas, who has added 10 pounds to his 6-4 frame, have impressed in their bid for a significant role in the playing rotation.

“You come here every day and you’ll see those two do extra work,” Ganot said. “So guess what? Those two have improved.”

Stansberry provides another 3-point threat who also can stress defenses as a ball-screen guard. It has not been determined if Thomas will double as a post-up guard.

Jack Purchase, a 6-9 senior, has worked on his drives. This past season, 75.4 percent of Purchase’s overall shots were launched from behind the 3-point arc. In Big West games, 82.7 percent were from deep.

“I want to be off the dribble a little more,” Purchase said. “They’ve scouted me as a 3-point now. I have to mix it up.”

The right-handed Purchase has worked on his pump-and-go moves, post-up positioning and left-handed dribbling.

“It’s getting better,” Ganot said of Purchase’s ability to create ball-handling shots. “He’s not going to see much daylight. I don’t think he should. I don’t know why teams would let him shoot. The other thing is, you have to get out there because he’s such a good passer, too. He’s made some strides in getting lower, getting more explosive, getting stronger. That allows him to be a second penetrator for us. … You always spread the floor when he’s out there because he can shoot. If teams are going to make him put it on the floor, it’s easier to go by a guy who’s in your grill than playing off you. He’s worked this offseason to get better there.”