University of Hawaii hoops schedule has to fit like puzzle

With 353 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams seeking to fill out their schedules, the swipe-right options are complicated.

In pre-pandemic times, according to University of Hawaii coach Eran Ganot, scheduling was “usually about matching dates and deal points. Now it’s like … everything has to fit. Dates fit? Games fit? Your school good with it? Our school good with it? Your state good with it? Our state good with it? Your conference good with it? Our conference good with it?”

Ganot’s staff — led by director of operations Jesse Nakashima — has worked diligently on the revised schedule in the two weeks since the NCAA announced the Division I season would begin on Nov. 25.

UH apparently has filled one date, listing a Nov. 25 game against Division II Hawaii Pacific on the Rainbow Warriors’ web site.

“With scheduling, there’s a science to it, there’s a puzzle to it,” Ganot said. “But the unique thing is doing it in September and October versus doing it earlier. At the end of the day, decisions will have to be made with the information we have to the best of our ability. And there’s a lot of information we still don’t technically have. The big thing is we’re on top of it as best as we can be. That’s all we can really control.”

UH’s first step has been re-opening talks with Division I opponents that were scheduled to play ahead of Nov. 25. The initial schedule had the ’Bows playing Washington State on Nov. 11 and San Diego on Nov. 15 in the season-opening Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic. While those two games remain as possibilities, there is no chance North Carolina will be able to reschedule the game planned for Nov. 20. North Carolina was playing that game in advance of the Maui Invitational, which has since moved to Orlando, Fla., this year.

UH still lists a Dec. 2 road game against Santa Clara and Dec. 13 home game against Alcorn State on its published schedule. But those games are being negotiated and any agreement would need to meet the standards set by their schools, leagues and states.

“We’re working on all the options starting with the ones that were on our current schedules,” Ganot said. “And we’re getting ahead on other options in the event that there will be some changes. … The NCAA (start date) was one level (in scheduling). The state and the school and league, that’s (a level), too. … Some leagues are going (with adding) nonconference (games), some aren’t. Some leagues are moving games around in their conference schedules. … But we’ll be all right. We’ll figure it out.”

Ganot indicated he is “confident” a schedule will be finalized.

“We’re working on it every day,” Ganot said. “It’s like an obstacle course you’re going through. There will be more obstacles on the way. But our commitment to getting through the obstacles course remains the same. We’ll get to that finish line in whatever parameters they give us.”