Hawaii basketball team hoping to rediscover its offensive flow

If a college basketball season is a marathon, then the Hawaii basketball team is hoping to prove it is not facing the proverbial wall.

“Hit a wall?”said coach Eran Ganot, whose Rainbow Warriors have lost three in a row to fall to 5-4 in the Big West, 21⁄2 games and two spots behind leader UC Irvine. “We don’t look at it that way. We’re hitting some adversity.”

Nine days ago, the ’Bows were 5-1, with their supporters harboring wishful thoughts. But they went nada-for-two on the road, and four days later, their offense imploded in a 50-49 loss to Long Beach State.

“I thought our flow, our rhythm wasn’t great,” offensive coordinator Chris Gerlufsen said of Wednesday’s one-point defeat. “I thought when we missed some shots early, it kind of affected us, and carried over for the rest of the game. You can’t play like that. We need to trust what we do. We need to do things sharper and harder. We will. We’ll be better.”

Ganot said: “It was a tough road trip, and then a quick turnaround. (Against LBSU), we defended well, we rebounded well. We were really horrific on the offensive end, certainly with our spirit and our purpose. But if you allow it to linger, then you have hit the wall. I hope we’re above that.”

The ’Bows’ opportunity for redemption begins with tonight’s nationally televised game against UC Irvine in the Stan Sheriff Center.

The ’Bows are hopeful for a wider rotation. Freshman post Bernardo da Silva returned the past Wednesday after missing five games because of a foot injury. There is a growing possibility junior wing Samuta Avea might be available tonight after sitting out four games because of a back ailment.

“Hopefully, Samuta’s back,” Gerlufsen said. “We’ll have to wait and see what capacity. Even to have him back for a few minutes is better than the limited bench we’ve been dealing with.”

In Avea’s absence, freshman Justin Webster has started as part of a three-guard attack. But that has shortened the rotation because Webster previously was the most productive reserve behind point guard Drew Buggs and off guard Eddie Stansberry. To ease the demands on Buggs, Webster sometimes brings the ball up court.

“Hopefully, we’ll get closer to a rotation that’s a little more consistent,” Ganot said. “Guys have been playing out of position, as well. Depth was supposed to be a strength of ours going into the year. It took a hit before the year, and it’s taken a hit recently.”

Da Silva pulled down seven rebounds while scoring four points in 21 minutes in Wednesday’s return. “He showed bright spots (and) some rust,” Ganot said of da Silva, who also provided rim protection. “He’ll be better for it Saturday.”

Ganot said the ’Bows also must improve on in-game adjustments. LBSU induced UH into several debatable fouls.

UH power forward Zigmars Raimo was called three times for offensive fouls.

“That’s the game within the game,” Ganot said. “I want to make sure we’re not an excuse program or anything comes down to officiating. But that’s certainly part of the adjustments. There are some differences in the way games are being called, and you’d better recognize that early.”

The ’Bows have focused on Irvine’s experience and aggressive rebounding. The Anteaters are second nationally in rebounding margin (plus-9.5 per game). Brad Greene, a 6-11 post who redshirted as a sophomore last season, is averaging 7.2 boards per game. Greene grabbed 21 rebounds in last month’s 74-60 victory over UH.

Collin Welp, a 6-9 reserve, is the Anteaters’ scoring leader (13.8 points per game, 42.5% accuracy on 3s). Evan Leonard is averaging 13.6 points per Big West game after averaging 9.5 in nonconference contests.

“They have a very good tradition in the league,” Gerlufsen said of the Anteaters. “They’ve been a perennial winner. They’re well coached, and very tough. Everything starts with the mentality they play with. They’re No. 2 in the country in rebounding margin.

“We tasted that the first time we played them. That’s going to be a key: keep the rebounding margin close. We’ve done a decent job with that in the league, other than the time we played them. We know what we need to do to win. It’s a matter of doing it.”

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BIG WEST BASKETBALL

At Stan Sheriff Center

>> Who: Hawaii (14-9, 5-4) vs. UC Irvine (16-10, 8-2)

>> When: 7 p.m. today (gates open at 5:30 p.m.)

>> TV: ESPN2

>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7 FM

>> Promotions: “Whiteout” night, with all fans encouraged to wear white. First Hawaiian Bank will distribute 3,000 t-shirts and 850 rally towels. At halftime, former UH player and coach Bob Nash will have his jersey retired.