Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
From nearly the first day he dribbled, Hawaii basketball coach Eran Ganot has adhered to strict rules of engagement.
“My deal has always been the same: respect all, fear none and keep working,” Ganot said. “I think I learned that Day 1 of coaching and Day 1 of playing. You try to reinforce that with your team every day.”
That approach will be tested today when the Rainbow Warriors play host to Mississippi Valley State in the Stan Sheriff Center. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.
The Delta Devils are 2-10, having lost four in a row. They compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which is ranked 31st among 32 Division I leagues, according to teamrankings.com.
“We’ve got to bring it every day,” UH point guard Brocke Stepteau said. “Our coaches always say that. But when you actually see it in a game, it’s kind of a wake-up call.”
The alarm sounded in the last game against UH Hilo, a victory tarnished because of the ’Bows’ inconsistency with point-of-attack defense and back-side rotations.
“I think (Hilo) kicked our ass in the first half,” UH post player Zigmars Raimo said. “It was a good lesson for us. We have to prepare for every day. We have to be mentally and physically ready. We have to be ready against every team, even if a team doesn’t have a good record. We need to focus. We have to keep going. We can’t stop.”
The Delta Devils are America’s guest. Nine of their first 12 games have been on the road. For today’s game, they will be playing in their fifth time zone.
“They’ve played one of the tougher schedules nationally,” Ganot said. “They’re used to playing on the road and in big atmospheres. Now they’re starting to find a little bit more of a comfort zone.”
The Delta Devils regularly use 10 to 13 players. Nine different players have started games.
“They play with great depth,” Ganot said. “Playing that many guys will be a challenge. They’re going to be bringing in guys who are fresh.”
The Delta Devils can play small ball or utilize Aleska Koracin, a 7-foot junior from Serbia. Koracin is a back-to-the-basket center who has launched all 52 of his shots from close range.
Raimo, who is 6-8, said he is prepared for an opposing center of any size. “My job is to box out,” said Raimo, who averages a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. “I dont care if I get 20 rebounds or five rebounds. I’m trying to block out every time. … It doesn’t matter if I guard 6-8 or 7-footer. If I do my work early and I’m in a stance (to) push him back, I can grab a rebound.”
In his third UH season, Raimo has developed into a crafty interior scorer. In the cramped low post, Raimo creates space with “relocating,” a technique of sliding into an empty area when his defender helps out against a driving guard.
“He’s very quick for his position,” Stepteau said. “If, say, I drive to the basket and he relocates, he’s already on the side wide open before the guy guarding him even realizes he’s not there anymore.”
Forward Jack Purchase said Raimo “has a really good basketball brain. He knows what to do before he gets the ball. He gets into tight spaces, and nobody knows what he’s going to do. He’s always spinning and getting the ball off quickly.”
71