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The University of Hawaii men’s basketball team is engaging in discussions with other schools as it seeks to fill its 2020-2021 schedule.
This past week, the NCAA Division I Council approved a measure that set the season’s start date at Nov. 25. That target date — 15 days later than the initial opening of the season — put into jeopardy the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic, a three-team round robin in which the Rainbow Warriors were to play Washington State on Nov. 11 and San Diego on Nov. 15.
WSU backed out from that commitment when the Pac-12, of which the Cougars are members, decided not to compete in sporting events the remainder of 2020. But the Pac-12 is revisiting that decision. For sure, UH’s Nov. 20 home game against North Carolina will not be rescheduled. The Tar Heels had planned to stop in Honolulu ahead of playing in the Maui Invitational. That eight-team tournament will now be held in Ashville, N.C., this year.
Jesse Nakanishi, UH’s director of basketball operations, head coach Eran Ganot and athletic director David Matlin have been involved in crafting the ’Bows’ nonconference schedule. UH is set to open Big West play in late December.
The ’Bows will have a full 15-player squad when preseason training opens on Oct. 14. Manel Ayol, who was named to junior college’s All-America second team this spring, arrived in Honolulu on Thursday. He is participating in the university’s screening protocol and might be cleared to practice as early as Friday.
“He’s versatile,” assistant coach Chris Gerlufsen said of 6-foot-7 Ayol. “Long. Athletic. He shot 40% from 3 at the junior-college level. He’s really a good story in terms of what hard work and perseverance can do.”
That persistence was displayed the past month. Ayol and UH’s other Australia-reared players were set to arrive in town three weeks ago. Ayol traveled from Melbourne to Sydney, where he was set to depart on a trans-Pacific flight. Because of an issue with his student visa, Ayol had to return to Melbourne to resolve the matter. But Melbourne has been in a lockdown because of the pandemic, and the embassy was open only one day a week. Ayol eventually received an emergency appointment and resolved the issue.
He then traveled back to Sydney, where he spent the night as part of the travel protocol during the pandemic. He then took a direct flight to San Francisco and, after a layover, traveled to Honolulu. It took 42 hours from his departure from Melbourne to his arrive in Honolulu on Thursday.
Ayol has a unique background. He was born in South Sudan. Unrest in that country led to his family moving to Australia when he was 6. He began playing basketball extensively in 2012. He was a member of a club team in Melbourne through 2015, when he moved to Denver for the final two years of high school. At Western Wyoming College, he developed into a multi-skilled player. He is a consistent scorer on drives, step-back jumpers and deep shots (39.3% on 3s).
Ayol was named the Region IX Player of the Year after averaging 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a sophomore this past season. He then was named to the NJCAA second team.
“He probably can play a few different positions on both ends of the ball,” Gerlufsen said. “He’s good at handling the ball for his size. He can play in ball screens and stuff like that. He’ll just provide another versatile player for us, which is kind of the route we’ve gone with this team.”
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