Despite being the only non-California member of the nine-team Big West, the Hawaii basketball team has felt comfortable in the Golden State.
In Eran Ganot’s four seasons as UH head coach, the Rainbow Warriors are 16-11 in Big West regular-season road games. Yes, they are the Golden State Rainbow Warriors.
Following Thursday’s victory at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid, the ’Bows are 2-1 in league road games this season. They play at UC Irvine today at 5 p.m.
“I think the things we talk about to win games carry over on the road — defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball,” Ganot said. “You definitely have to do those things to have a chance on the road.”
Against Long Beach State, Hawaii turned the ball over only nine times — nearly six fewer than the 14.8 average by the 49ers’ other opponents. In three Big West road games, the ’Bows are averaging 8.3 turnovers. UH point guard Drew Buggs has three turnovers in three league road games.
“The big thing is taking care of the ball,” Ganot said. “You’re talking about a league that is big in forcing turnovers.”
Under Gib Arnold and then Benji Taylor, Hawaii was 10-15 in Big West road games.
BIG WEST BASKETBALL
>> Who: Hawaii (14-8, 5-3 BWC) at UC Irvine (20-5, 8-1 BWC)
>> When: 5 p.m. today
>> Where: Bren Events Center, Irvine, Calif.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
>> Online: ESPN3.com
“When I got hired (in 2015), when we got hired, it was something we wanted to address with our team,” Ganot said. “They had aspirations to win the league. You’re not going to win the league or do well in postseason or do well further on if you don’t perform on the road. There was no way to sugarcoat it.”
Ganot and associate coach Adam Jacobsen, who had previous ties in the Big West, set up a travel routine and implemented basic rules of conduct.
“Simple rules,” Ganot said of the guidelines for behavior and focus. “Finding a way to wrinkle our road prep for what Hawaii has to do, it’s not an exact science. We’re still working on it. But, so far, we’ve been OK there.”
In turn, the players have been entrusted to provide input.
Ganot said the 2015-16 team “was so competitive and hungry to be special that they jumped in. If anything, that team tried to find random stats that they could break. First it became, when was the last time our program had a road sweep? I remember (guard) Quincy (Smith) was asking after we got a road sweep, ‘What’s the most road wins we’ve had in a row?’ Things like that. …
“They were 7-0 in Big West play on the road going into the last game we lost against Long Beach. They kind of set a goal, then they would get a goal, and then find new goals. With good teams, players take ownership. They have a good investment. It was fun to watch.”
Ganot said that team fostered a culture of older players teaching younger teammates.
“The message is clear: They move it forward,” Ganot said. “If you want to be good, and we’re babysitting, we’re never good. Most good (teams) like routine. We’re very clear on our schedules and how we go about things. That’s it. It’s a credit to them. … It starts with the players. They make us look good.”
